Harry Potter and the Deathless Crowd
by Nekogami Bastet
Summary: The new school year at Hogwarts promised to be as exciting and possibly dangerous as the first three. The attack during the Quidditch World Cup seemed to be proof enough, but Harry now had to deal with strange dreams too. And on the other side of the world, an unsuspecting fox is pulled away from his life and thrown in a world he had left long ago. Without the ticket home.
1. Prologue

Warning: No Beta for this story yet and I am not from an English-speaking country, so feel free to correct any mistakes you may notice.

I do not own Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

The first thing Harry noticed was that everything around him seemed so big, and how weak and small his body felt. He then noticed how dark and dusty the room was. He knew this wasn't Privet Drive, and yet felt no surprise. In this way so specific to dreams, his mind and body felt like his own and yet he was merely a spectator. He remembered it, he had seen this very room not too long ago, down to the roaring fire. When was it? When had he seen this place?

He opened his mouth, and his voice was almost inaudible in the thickness of the dusty air.

"Wormtail..."

He heard a shuffle, and a man he knew was actually short entered his field of vision and seemed to tower over him, before he knelt in front of his seat.

"Master? "

The rat's voice was weak, hesitant and frightened, and Harry felt disgust wash over him. Was such a coward one of the only two men he could count on in such times? This sparked indignation and rage, and Harry would have tortured the man here and then if he could have afforded to waste his energy like that. His storming anger aside, his voice was only calmly menacing when he spoke.

"He hasn't returned. Have you received a word from him? "

"N-no... He should come back tonight b-but... I di-didn't hear anything from him..."

Night had fallen. His second and currently most useful follower would soon be back with the necessities. Harry had to contain his trepidation.

As if to answer his thinly veiled impatience, a tingle on his senses, like a caress to his magic, warned him that someone had gotten through the wards he had created. They were weak wards, and couldn't do much more than serve as an alarm and ward off any filthy muggles that may want to enter the house. His body could not handle the use of strong magic yet. But this would be corrected by the end of the school year at Hogwarts.

A knock was heard on the door, and Harry uttered a spell to unlock it and allow the man to enter. His follower knelt in front of him and presented him a wooden box, on which papers with ink writings were stuck. Harry recognised the symbols of a time-freezing barrier. The seals were broken however, and the man opened the box for him. In it was a single and very long silver hair that seemed to shine with what little light of the moon entered the room. It looked very much like a unicorn hair, yet Harry knew that this hair did not come from a unicorn, but from a much more powerful and dark creature, a creature feared and thought long extinct. A demon.

"Master..."

"Is it still usable?"

"It is. The freezing barrier kept it perfectly intact, and the demon's residual energy still surrounds it. I only opened it today to verify that we would be able to use it."

"Was there any other hair that we could have used? "

"N-no master... I found nothing else in the hiding place I found this hair in... I-I was also unable to find from what type of demon this hair came from, as all the scrolls left were almost completely destroyed by time and water..."

"I see. The demon may be able to procure us some more. We shall summon it tonight."

"Master? "

"The summoning ritual is ready. We will test it tonight, as I am feeling better. Wormtail..."

The rat looked up, without actually daring to look at him in the eyes. Who said rats were stupid? They were merely cowardly and pathetic, and those were qualities Harry could appreciate in a subordinate, as without them control became tenuous, and a work of every instant that required to always be watchful in order to detect betrayal. It wouldn't do for Peter to realise that he had some intelligence, he was more useful kept in his current state.

"Bring me to the basement."

Wormtail stumbled as he got up, and took Harry through the once abandoned muggle house, the same one where everything would return to the state it never should have left.

They entered another room in which the floor was made of stone tiling. A few old and forgotten muggle machines were lined up against the walls. Wormtail used his free arm to light a few blue fires in each corner. A large square painted in black ink could be seen on the floor. Four wooden pillars were at each angle, with fluttering and sparkling inked papers stuck on them. The barrier would protect the summoner until the first half of the ritual was finished, and the future master was ready to tie the demon's soul to his own, chaining it and subordinating it to his will. Enchanted metal chains laid on the floor, waiting for their prey.

Wormtail sat him on a comfortable armchair near the edge of the square, and knelt by his side. Harry gave his more competent follower the order to begin the summoning, and the man went to put the silver hair in the centre of the square before leaving it. The follower turned summoner then began a complex spell in the goblins' language, and the strange chant filled the room.

A white mist seemed to escape from the now shining hair. It filled the square from the floor to the ceiling, seemingly unable to leave it, the barrier creating a prison. Despite that, an overwhelming pressure that could only come from an incredibly strong power had begun to fill the room. Cracking sounds could be heard, and black lightning hit the limit of the barrier, straining to break free. A shout from a young voice, a voice neither clearly male or female, was heard. It cried in agony, before it morphed to a masculine and more mature one. Soon they only heard a harsh intake of breath followed by panting. His follower took off the seals on the pillars and the mist, now free, began to dissipate, revealing a crumbled and tied up form at the centre of the room.

Harry suddenly felt a great delight when he took in the appearance of the creature he had summoned as a new and powerful force for his future army. The creature was of an unbelievable beauty. He could clearly see the advantages he would gain from having by his side a being that looked so much like a creature of the light. It would without a doubt make taking over wizarding Britain much easier. This being would not only bring fear to the hearts of his enemies, it would inspire confusion in the side of the light, as well as force awe and admiration.

The creature was male, its shoulders being too broad for it to be female. It was tied harshly to the floor in an uncomfortable position, its face not visible as it was turned in order not to have it crushed nose-first against the stone tiles. It was tall, almost seven feet, and completely dressed in a white flowing clothing. Long sumptuous silver hair spread all around it in a halo, and despite what little light there was, it reflected the blue light of the fire almost like water would. The long hair could not completely hide the two white canine ears perched on top of the creature's head. A tail covered in long silky silvery white fur was caught in the chain in a way that must have been painful. Clawed hands had left deep scratches on the floor, showing that the creature had tried to resist.

The only sounds left in the room were now an irregular breathing accentuated by soft threatening growls.

Harry lifted a hand, and the chains on the floor became a bit longer. Immediately the creature tried to stand, but it was only able to kneel partially before the chains became rigid, making it impossible to move, and forcing a gasp of pain to escape from its still invisible mouth. Silver hair then flew around as a pale and finely sculpted face snapped up in rage, and feral dark golden eyes glared at him with outrage and blood-lust.

Harry wasn't intimidated. The creature was currently unable to do or even try anything.

The glare sent his way also demanded an explanation, and he found amusement in the fact that even in such a vulnerable position the creature refused to let go of its pride.

"Wormtail, bring me closer."

The short man immediately came toward him, dark gold eyes following his movements warily. Harry was once again lifted, and then brought into the square, held sightly higher than the creature's eyes yet still able to reach and touch it when he would need to. Pale lips opened as the creature spoke for the first time, and a short sentence was spat at him in a language that sounded eastern. The tone suggested that it was a demand mixed with an insult.

Whereas Harry's voice was a wheezing whisper, almost inaudible, the white being's voice was deep and rich, almost seductive in a way, yet suggesting danger, like how some people perhaps imagined Death's voice to be.

It was captivating, and Harry could feel the shiver of fear that went through Wormtail at the sound.

"Do you speak our language?"

After a moment of silence, a growled answer was heard.

"What are you brat? "

Harry had the strangest feeling that the creature wasn't one to bluntly insult anyone unless deeply angered or worried. Everything about it seemed too dignified and commanding to sink to such a level. The use of the word "brat" could not anger Harry, for it was an expression of weakness, and rather than feeling anger, he felt a sort of unexpected mirth. It must have shown on his face – and truthfully it had been the intent – because the white being snarled.

"I am the wizard that is to be your master, and I was just about to finish the ritual that will bond your demonic soul to mine."

The creature's eyes widened. Harry lifted his hand and brought it to rest on silky silver hair.

A hoarse cry escaped the being. Harry's mouth stretched into a pleased smile, and this despite the fact that he was starting to feel a far-away pain himself, one that truly felt like his own. It kept getting stronger, even as he took his hand away. Just as he started to feel pulled away from the body he occupied, he saw the pale and panting man look at him in the eyes with a knowing smirk on his face. His dark voice suddenly seemed overlapped by a younger one.

"Good try, _wizard_. But I am no one's slave."

Harry suddenly felt torn away from his body, no, not his, someone else's, someone he had begun to know very well, and slammed back into his own as he woke up with a splitting headache.

His own gasp of pain as he woke up filled the bedroom, and the dream seemed to leak out of him and invade his reality, making the familiar and welcoming place look sinister.

Harry kept his hands on his head, fearing it might split in two should he not hold it together. The headache was agonizing, to the point of making thinking near impossible. He could not remember everything clearly, already the dream was slipping away, but silver canine ears and golden eyes were like burned on his retina, and blinking could not make them go away.

The boy got up from his bed with a groan of pain while trying not to wake up Ron, Fred and George. He tried to embrace the memory of the nightmare, in hope that it would not dissolve into almost nothing like the last one. He reached for his glasses, a quill, ink and a piece of parchment, and started to write. When he had finished describing everything in detail, he took another roll of parchment and wrote a short letter, feeling too drained to make it long or reassuring. His eyes searched around for white feathers, before he realized that Hedwig hadn't come back yet.

This was urgent, Harry knew it deep down. This was no normal dream, and it was already the second one. Someone needed to be told about this dream or whatever it was, and if Sirius was so far away, then he would not be of much help. One solution left...

He shook Ron hard. His best friend groaned and turned around, almost punching Harry in the face and breaking his glasses in the process.

"Mwha izit... Tooearly... 'tilnight..."

"C'mon Ron wake up!" Whispered Harry harshly in the red-head's ear.

Blue eyes blinked up sleepily at him.

"...rry?"

"Yes. I need to borrow Pig."

"... The bloody hell for...?" Mumbled Ron while he was slowly getting up. Or more precisely stumbling up.

"A letter to Dumbledore. Then we can get back to sleep, I promise."

"Blimey... Couldn't have waited could it?"

Said Ron, but one look in Harry's direction told him how serious this was and he nodded.

"Come on, I left him downstairs, can you imagine the four of us in the same room plus Pig? Wouldn't have ended well I bet... We wouldn't have gotten any sleep with the noise the little bugger can make. But then I'm not getting any tonight anyway..."

Grumbled the boy a bit over-dramatically. One letter sent later, the two teenagers crawled right back in bed and slept away. And although Harry had no guarantee the headmaster would even take him seriously, he felt a bit calmer and had no more nightmares that night.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

**Important AN:** I cannot guarantee regular updates, as I am in the last semester of my last year in University, and that means I have a lot of work. One thing I can promise is that I will not give this story up, I will finish it, even if it takes me years to do so. I always disliked unfinished stories that leave you craving for more, even though you know that it won't ever be updated again, so I swore to myself that I would never do that. If I do, then something terrible must have happened to me, you're warned ;) .

Also, a repeat of the warnings from the beginning: I don't have a beta-reader, and this is my first story in English, so feel free to point out any mistakes I will make (yes, _will_, there will be some, it can't be avoided), especially if they are plot-related. I won't take offence, far from it ^^ .

There, that's all! Please Review!


	2. To Hell and Back

I own neither Harry Potter nor Yu Yu Hakusho

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

The Riddle House in Little Hangleton was rather far away from the village, and though it was visible because of how large it was, nobody dared to go close to the manor. This, and the thickness of the old house's walls, made it the perfect hideout. But of course it did not help the yōkai imprisoned there.

His loud cry of pain was lost somewhere between the walls, the earth above his head, and the large garden. The only person who could still have heard anything coming from the ominous place had been an old man, killed not too long before, and whose body was now just as lost as the yōkai's voice. No one heard, and no one had in fact any clue that something awful was happening in the village.

No one but the torturer and the tortured.

"He is falling asleep Wormtail."

The order wasn't spoken out loud, but it was understood. Wormtail's whisper of "crucio" was clear to the bound fox demon despite the exhaustion, as if his sense of hearing had tuned on the word so he could always be forewarned of the torture to come.

Kurama was certain he would now be able to hear this word even in his sleep.

His pondering was cut short by the pain, and everything around him seemed to freeze, while time lengthened.

The fox demon could not move, the chains prevented it, and if he tried they would ensnare him more, choking him and bringing him even more pain. He stayed still, that was all he could do. He had since long stopped trying to sit, and was laying down on the ground, curled up and trying to ignore his pride nagging at him. He held his legs with his arms to prevent them from instinctively kicking or moving. This did not impede the howl bubbling in his throat, and it got out undeterred by his painfully raw vocal cords. It was barely muffled by the restraining position.

But more than the physical pain, it was the pain to his ego that really hurt the thousand years old yōkai.

Unmoving, fighting against his own body, he also had to defend against the repetitive assaults on his mind. And that was when he didn't have to fight against said mind, which rebelled every time the word "imperio" was spoken. Who knew wizards had such spells in their arsenal? Certainly not him. It had been far too long since he had had any sort of contact with their community.

The pain stopped and Kurama was left pulling weakly at the chains restraining him, while trying to regain his breath. His throat was burning, his nerves were on fire, and certainly not in the most pleasant meaning of the word. He barely had any physical strength left, and his yōki and reiki were frozen, not imprisoned, completely frozen by the enchanted chains. He could feel drops of sweat rolling on the skin of his neck, his brow and even on his back, and he knew he would be cold once they stopped the torture. His entire body was shaking strongly and he resisted the urge of changing position to stop the tremors from racking his limbs. The pain had left, but the fight wasn't finished. He had yet to confront the one trying to invade his mind.

Kurama could feel something pushing on the edge of his consciousness, trying to force itself in, and he strengthened his mental shields even more. It felt as if someone was trying to violate him, enter his mind, look around as if it was their own space, and put a little bit of themselves there never to disappear. He shuddered at the mere feeling. It felt nothing like Hiei's own intrusions which were always respectful of his team-mates' privacy. But while he didn't have access to his powers, he prided himself in his mental discipline. The ant, this... "Lord Voldemort" as he called himself, had yet to manage to breach his defences.

Kurama was also trying not to panic and lose his concentration even though his worry had kept growing as the hours passed. Hiei had not felt anything. Not his pain, not the attempts at an invasion of his mind. Hiei always felt these things. The mental link they had thanks to Hiei's Jagan was strong and should not have been broken due to distance. Even if he was on the other side of the planet. More worrying, Kurama could usually access this link, and "knock" on this door to Hiei's consciousness, but now he couldn't. He could feel the link, but it was like his mind refused to obey him, refused to do what it had always done as naturally as breathing. Kurama could not fathom how it was possible for his own _will_ to resist his _wishes_. But each time he made an attempt, his will escaped him and he just gave up and stopped. What had that wizard done to him?

"Will you answer now? Why did the ritual fail? I know you have an idea on the matter."

Oh he did have an idea, but he would not give it up that easily.

"Tell you...? Why... So y-you can... co-control me? You are a few... thousand years... too young... to think that you c-can become my mas-master. I told you... I am... no one's slave. "

It had sounded so much better in his head...

"You hope to convince me of this while you are in this shape? It is _so _obvious who is the superior one here. Age and power are not necessarily linked."

Sadly, the ant was right. Kurama only had to think of Yusuke to realise that. This did not mean he would give the "Lord" the satisfaction of hearing any form of agreement from him.

Seeing that he would get nothing more than stubbornly proud silence, the tiny thing in the overly large armchair frowned.

"Should we try an imperio again my Lord?"

Asked Wormtail in an urgent whisper, his voice thickened by a sort of perverse pleasure. Voldemort thought over the proposition, but already he was feeling the weariness catching up to him. He needed rest, and the regular legilimens he had been casting were taking their tolls. Should he continue would he go too far? Would he go into a state even worse than this one? Was this worth the risk? No. No it wasn't. It was also a needless risk. The demon did not break today? Well, it was only the end of the first day. There was no reason to rush things. Eventually starvation, the lack of water, the lack of sleep and the pain would tire it enough that he would be able to enter its mind at last, and find his answers.

He had time. Nothing was more urgent than Potter, and until he got his hands on the boy, everything else could wait. He already had a plan, and the demon was not necessary for its success.

"No."

"My... Lord?"

"I am feeling tired Wormtail, and the fact is; you didn't notice."

The rat shrunk without him having to even start to sound angry.

"I...I'm s..."

"Bring me upstairs, and search for Nagini. I need her."

"Should... I come back down afterwards my Lord?"

"And leave me all alone in my condition? What sort of lackey are you?! You are trying to stay away from me awfully often aren't you?"

"I just thought..."

"Don't. It doesn't suit you. Bring me back upstairs Wormtail. Now."

The man took the frail form of his Lord in his shivering arms, and turned around, toward the basement's door. And the Lord may not have been able to see the relief on the demon's face, but he could almost smell it in the air, this tangible and idiotic hope.

"Don't be relieved yet, this isn't finished. And don't hope, or you might give me more pleasure when I see it crushed later on. – Whispered Voldemort feebly – You don't want that I'm sure. No one knows you are here. No one is coming. You _are_ staying here."

The door closing after them made the point clear to the bound Kurama. But his eyes were lifted, and refused to go down. His anger was terrible, and they would feel the raging storm the moment it freed itself. This wasn't finished indeed...

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Albus read Harry's letter for what felt like the twentieth time. In a mere four days the school year would begin, and the amount of work all the preparations for the pupils' arrival demanded was simply overwhelming, like every year. But now he also had to worry about the new information.

Albus had noticed the signs. He knew Tom was making his move, and that was why he had asked Moody to come to Hogwarts. If someone was a professional at spotting trouble before it even made its appearance, it was the ex-auror.

Albus could have simply brushed aside Harry's vision as a simple nightmare, and it would have been the most logical explanation, but the clear description, the fact that Harry had been in Tom's place and not a mere spectator... Everything seemed too realistic and the Headmaster could not turn off the ringing alarms in his head. He knew he should be seeing something, there was something that he had to notice, but he could not tell what for the life of him.

In any case, if what Harry saw was real, then the situation was worse than he had imagined. Demons had disappeared long ago, and no one knew what they had become. It had been centuries since wizards had seen any. They completely disappeared in the late-seventeenth century, at around the same time the International Statute of Secrecy went into effect. Wizards today were totally unprepared to deal with demons of all things, this knowledge had been lost long ago. They had texts, incantations, spells, but they had forgotten how to deal with such powerful creatures, they had lost their reactivity, the ruthlessness necessary to confront beings whose power was so above them. Lower demons would not be a problem, but the one Harry described seemed powerful. At least powerful enough to resist a soul binding ritual.

And this was actually the only good news right now. Because hopefully Tom was as unprepared to deal with demons as any wizard. Albus could only hope his enemy was in fact way above his head and hadn't realized it. If the demon managed to fight back and weaken Tom further, the time gained would be invaluable. He could not find any flaw in the spell described by Harry, but the teen had not copied down what had been written on the paper seals and so Albus could not be sure.

Considering the state Tom seemed to be in, the Headmaster was certain he could take him, Peter and that third associate on without much trouble, if any at all, but he had no idea where the man could be. Fire-power was useless without a target.

Albus had not the slightest idea what he could do to stop Tom from acquiring a new and powerful weapon. The last information he had received seemed to suggest that he was in Albania, but he could now be virtually anywhere. Albus could do nothing... He could only warn his friend Moody of this development, activate the long-unused anti-demon wards Hogwarts had, and hope the demon would not be used against them too early on in the conflict to come. Or that he managed to kill Tom. This solution would be even more appreciated, for it would mean Harry would not need to bloody his hands.

But then, Albus knew that this hope was wishful thinking. Escaping prophecies had never been the simplest deed to accomplish. Once set off, they simply happened as predicted. Albus had tried to protect Harry's parents after all, but their death had been proof enough that Tom had set it in motion. No, whatever happened Albus doubted the demon would be able to kill Tom.

He only hoped this would not make the task harder for the boy.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Kurama was running for his life alongside someone. He could not see who it was, but he trusted this person completely. He knew also that whoever it was, was male. He didn't turn to see that friend's face, but he could smell the faintest trace of demonic scent, though it felt unfamiliar. His friend was panting heavily, and Kurama himself was starting to feel out of breath.

"Should we hide?"

His friend answered without pausing.

"No! The others... huff... are waiting! If... we hide... pff... the ambush will... huff... fail! Don't... mind me!"

"But..."

"Stop... making me talk... huff... please!"

Kurama shot back a quick "sorry" and pressed on, hoping that his friend would be able to keep up. Otherwise he was dead.

He gripped the side of a building to allow himself to turn more easily without loosing speed. Not far in front of them he could see someone... Yusuke? No, some details were off despite the vague resemblance. Relief flooded Kurama when he saw the Yusuke-look-alike wave at them urgently but silently from a side alley. The two of them screeched to a halt in front of "Yusuke" and hid with him in the darkened alley. The heavy clouds above and the lack of electrical light turned them completely invisible.

"Are you all-right?"

Whispered "Yusuke" while checking Kurama for any wounds or subtle show of discomfort.

"I'm fine!"

"Please... ignore me... huff... you both... I wouldn't want... to interrupt..."

Kurama shot an annoyed glare to both his friends. Then "Yusuke" raised his hand in warning.

"Shh! I hear them coming!"

Shadows of hooded silhouettes stretched on the ground. "Yusuke" Pushed Kurama behind him, and Kurama's other friend made sure to partially hide him as well. Well, didn't that make everything easier for him now! How was he supposed to attack like that? He would be having a talk with the two of them once they were finished.

A shout interrupted his internal ranting.

"CRUCIO!"

Kurama felt his voice being torn out of his throat, the dampness of the basement, the smell of dust and the presence of the wizards in the room suddenly invaded his senses. The awakening was brutal, and once the pain abided the fox yōkai was left blinking, completely disoriented. Had he been dreaming? A dream where he had managed to escape? Of all things to dream, had it been about Yusuke _saving_ him? Well now... That was embarrassing. Kurama promised himself to never tell the young man. It would not do to be teased by someone younger.

"He is awake my lord..."

Kurama heard footsteps just behind him. He remembered that voice. The second lackey. He hadn't been there much since Kurama got here. Which must have been around three days ago if his internal clock was correct. The man, whose name he had yet to hear, walked slowly around him, until the sound of footsteps came from around Kurama's head, and way too close for comfort.

Kurama did not try to crane his neck to watch what he was doing. He did not fancy a broken nose if the man felt a sudden need to kick him, and he trusted his sense of hearing fully.

"Well, it is not moving." Came the wheezy whisper of Kurama's main tormentor.

"He is playing dead my lord. Or he is too afraid that I will damage his pretty face to look up."

"Lord" Voldemort laughed, and the sound was utterly disturbing; almost completely quiet, it sounded a bit like someone trying to laugh with their neck crushed and slowly dying of asphyxiation. Kurama let the insult fly over him. Broken noses hurt. And that's without talking about the nausea and dizziness it causes too.

"My Lord?"

"Go on. Do what you wish. We have the means to repair it should you break a few bones."

"Thank you my Lord."

He did not hold back. A violent kick was given to Kurama's back. All the air in his lungs got violently expelled. He tried breathing in, but stopped half-way as pain exploded in his spine. He breathed in some saliva as well, and he became victim of a violent couching fit. His back felt like it was beating with the rhythm of his heart, each beat brought a wave of heat and pain, but Kurama tried to forget all that in favour of regaining his breath.

The ensuing beating was like heavy rocks raining down on him. A few curses were spat between kicks and punches, among them were only one or two crucio, the rest broke bones or cut flesh. Kurama could deal with this form of torture better, and he reinforced his mental defences while gritting his teeth. A kick to his face opened his eyebrow, and a heavy stream of warm blood began to flow freely in his eyes and the rest of his face. Eyes now tightly shut, Kurama held in the curses he wanted to throw at all of them, remembering clearly the ant's amused face when he had done so the first time. He also wondered from where this change of torture method could have come from, and why they even bothered to keep it up. It must have been obvious that it didn't work. That "crucio" had brought him more pain. Why use physical force which was more tiring and less efficient?

A foot on one of his ankle froze him, and he waited with baited breath for the pain to come. Unable to move even one inch because of the chains, he could do nothing as the foot pushed more and more. The sickening sound of bones slowly shattering was not drowned by the agonizing pain, nor by his own strangled cry. Another attack on his consciousness, like a battering ram on the door to his mind, thankfully distracted him enough that he didn't feel much of anything any-more.

"It is done my Lord."

"Wormtail, take off the chains."

Kurama felt as if everything around him slowed down when he realised what had been said. He heard the first lackey walk closer to his head again. A hand roughly gripped his hair and pulled it from the floor, probably so that the other would be able to take the restraints off more easily. The fox's head exploded in pain, his ears on the top of his head suffered the most, but it also stretched the tear of the flesh on his face, renewing the flow of blood on his face. He could smell Wormtail coming closer. His mind was racing, trying to find a way to use the opportunity, and at the same time the realization of _why_ they had used physical torture dawned on him. Everything, his broken foot, his blood soaked face, the multiple bruises and broken bones, it was all another form of restrain. He also understood why the first lackey was here for once. They knew he would attempt to escape, and they figured two of them would be necessary to restrain him. They didn't want to take any chances however and had beaten up him to weaken him. Well, two would not be enough.

But why take off the chains in the first place?

Wormtail gripped the chains, and they obeyed without much trouble as he pulled and untangled them. Kurama had by then almost completely forgotten the pain on his head, and had all his senses but sight fully awake. He tried to keep his ears unmoving or it might give him away, and hoped any sudden movement they made would be seen as a reaction to the hair-pulling.

He considered his position, what he had seen of the room before he had to close his eyes (and he had had three days to take in the layout of this damned basement), the placement of each men, the hand in his hair... Well, now _that _was useful... Had they thought that so long as he could not move his limbs he would be defenceless? Was it because he had no visible weapon on him? He felt the moment the last bit of chain imprisoning him, the one around his tail, was pulled away, and suddenly his yōki and reiki resumed circulating in his body. He could finally use it... At least it was responding!

The lackey holding his hair did not have the time to pull his hand away.

A vine seemingly made of brown wood rushed right at him with his heart as the target. Kurama only got his shoulder, breaking the collarbone, tearing up muscles, nerves and blood vessels. It was not the intended result but at least he was free. The man fell down while cursing and clutching his wounded shoulder. He used the moment of shock he had created to control the vines so that they would wrap around all his limbs and immobilize his broken ankle at the very least. They hadn't entirely done so before he forced himself to dive to the right, out of the way of a curse he heard Wormtail send. His entire body protested against the reckless movements but he could not have cared less.

He threw his left arm where he remembered Voldemort's position to be and the vine around it grew and gripped one foot of his chair, throwing him to the floor. Wormtail was left looking between his downed and screeching Lord and the demon throwing himself at the previously localized door with the help of his vines.

"After him! After him Wormtail!"

This ant would not make escaping easy for him would he? Kurama could hardly move, so he made the vines move his broken limbs for him. While useful in order to escape even in the worst condition, it was unbearable in terms of pain.

The running footsteps and the smell of rat behind him edged Kurama on, without leaving him time to catch his breath. He stumbled at the end of the stairs, not having seen it with his eyes still closed. The sound of Wormtail catching on did not leave him much time to rub them, but he now needed his eyes if he was to escape, and he did so as fast as possible. The darkened hall of the house was barely visible, so it must have been night. The front door was closed by thick planks and so were the windows. He could see a hallway to his right and he pushed himself in that direction just as Wormtail had reached the top of the stairs.

"Reducto!"

The spell hit the corner of the wall behind him, but not before he had completely disappeared in the corridor. He passed many rooms, and finally saw one where the planks were so damaged by mould and water that Kurama would have little trouble breaking it down, even in his state. He reached a table on which were numerous uninteresting objects, and he was about to pass by it completely to get to the window before a shout interrupted him and forced him to turn around, one hand on the table to steady himself.

"Stop!"

Kurama looked at the rat in the doorway and immediately realized that he would not win a confrontation. Using the vines as a replacement for his limbs demanded too much coordination already, summoning a weapon in this condition was out the window if he dared make the pun. He had no cover, and his reactivity was so slow compared to usual that he was unlikely to dodge anything. His adrenalin was also starting to run low, and Kurama wondered if it was because of how tired he was after three days of torture.

"If you... If you move I will throw my worst spell demon."

Kurama stayed quiet and started slowly moving backward.

"I... I said stop! Stop I said!"

Kurama didn't hear the incantation, but he saw the green light flying toward him. He hadn't seen that colour before. He tried jumping back stupidly, but nearly fell and crashed against the table. The spell flew over his head. His left hand touched something, he wasn't sure what. He saw his opponent's eyes widen a mere second before he felt something, like a hook behind his navel being jerked forward, and suddenly the room had disappeared. The only thing he still felt was the object in his hand, and he clung onto it like his life depended on it. It could have for all he knew.

It was over almost in an instant, and Kurama miserably crashed to the ground. His body was engulfed by a wave of pain so powerful that he did not immediately notice he had landed on grass. When he did, his relief was so overwhelming that it choked him for a moment. He tried reaching for Hiei. After all the chains had frozen his power, perhaps that was the reason he had been unable to contact him? His hopes and relief were dashed the moment he backed down, his will abandoning him without reasons.

He then realized that if an object made by these wizards had brought him here, then they probably knew where he was and could appear at any moment.

He forced his vines to get his unresponsive body up, biting his lower lip all the while to keep for crying out. He had done enough of that the past three days. He did not recognize where he was, only that it was a normal human neighbourhood, and that he had landed in a private garden. The name of the road, which he could see from where he was, was in English, so he really was somewhere in England and it was not only his abductors speaking English with a heavy British accent.

Did he have his mobile phone on him in his human form before having been yanked away from Japan? Yes he did. Well, it was only a matter of turning back to his human appearance and calling his friends then. They could come get him. In fact he could even open a portal for the Makai right now. Or not. In his state it would not do to go to a place where "survival of the fittest" was the main rule, and he doubted he had enough concentration to use such a high level technique as that of a portal right now anyway.

He considered all that while he stumbled in a mostly straight line without caring much about where he was going, only that he was going away from where he had arrived. He did not dare turn into his more fragile human body neither, even though it was the perfect disguise. That body would just crumble with how badly hurt he was. Well, crumble _more_ than his current one. And if they caught up to him and recognized his injuries? Well that disguise would be shot to the lowest pits of the Makai.

He advanced mostly unhindered despite his failing body, trying to stay in the shadow, away from the light of the lampposts, in case some of the people living here weren't sleeping. He sometimes entered the small gardens around him if he heard a car coming his way.

He did not know how long he moved forward without a goal, but what he did know when he entered once again a small unattended garden and walked through what felt like a thin curtain of water, was that this feeling probably meant nothing good. His vines turned to dust before his eyes. His yōki felt like it was being sucked away and he did his best to keep the leak under control. His whole body slowly became numb, and without the vines to hold him up he fell to the ground without any grace. The last thing he felt was his reiki imprisoning his yōki to stop it from leaking further, then everything turned black.

Mad-Eye Moody had been woken up by his wards' alarms going off. He had jumped out of bed, seizing the wand he always left under his pillow, and had run outside ready for a fight. He arrived just in time to see the unconscious white form of the very demon Albus had described to him slowly change in front of his eyes, become smaller and slimmer, his hair which he had thought to be stained by blood actually became entirely red, and even the demon's toga-like clothes changed to normal muggle clothes. There was no need for a confrontation at all, the demon looked unconscious, or perhaps even dead.

Unwilling to leave the creature out of his sight, Moody approached the intruder and used a floating charm to transport him inside without causing further damage.

Once this was done he restrained him with multiple spells and seized the floo powder on his chimney.

Up in his tower, Albus Dumbledore had been completing one of the many authorization papers sent by the Ministry for the Triwizard Tournament when the fire in his chimney turned green, breaking his concentration. He turned around and saw Moody's face in the fire. Frowning when he noticed the grim look in his friend's eyes he got up and approached the fire.

"Moody, good friend! How come you contact me at this hour of the night?"

"You'll never believe this Albus. Better you come see for yourself. It's about that demon of yours."

Albus' eyebrow very nearly reached his hairline in surprise.

"Do you already have news or a hint of where he could be? When I only warned you yesterday?"

"Better than that. Come right now, I'm waiting for you. You won't regret leaving all that paperwork behind with what I have here for you."

"Do you mind if I apparate then?"

"You won't be able to do it inside the house. And I'm not lowering my wards. Use the floo."

Typical Moody. The ex-auror took his head out of the fire just as Albus walked into it and added another pinch of floo powder while saying Moody's address out loud.

The moment Albus stepped into Moody's living room, the man started relating what had happened.

"… and I know he looks different, but I swear to you Albus he was just like how you described him to me when he arrived. I have no idea how he managed the transformation while unconscious, but even I know little about demons. Never met any before today. He's alive but barely, even though my wards should have killed him. Sure it's the first time I've had to create an anti-demon ward, but I'll be damned if they didn't work perfectly. I triple-checked them. Twice."

Albus had to wonder about the power of coincidences, luck and destiny, for how could that demon have escaped from Tom and ended up in Moody's own domain without a spectacular stroke of luck?

The Headmaster shook himself out of his daze when he noticed the red staining the sofa the prone figure was laid on.

"I will bring him to Hogwarts."

"Are you mad Albus? Bringing a demon inside a school full of students?"

"He needs medical attention, and bringing him to Saint Mungo would raise too many questions."

"I get why you need him alive Albus. You want information. But if you don't kill him Voldemort can always summon him again." Pointed out the ex-auror, always practical.

"I won't kill him. He is a living and intelligent being and has done nothing wrong that we know of."

Moody grunted in reluctant agreement.

"And the wards at Hogwarts are some of the most powerful there are. Tom's summoning ritual should not work as long as the demon is in Hogwarts' grounds, and I can still reinforce them. What worries me more is the fact that he appeared so close to your home."

"Yeah, I doubt it's luck. I thought about it myself, and if that demon had an ability similar to apparition, what would be the chance he'd arrive in my home of all places? It makes more sense if he used a portkey and Voldemort was after me."

"Be careful Moody. Tom is probably highly unhappy I hired you. Whatever his plans for Harry are, he knows you will get in his way. I would be a lot calmer if I knew you were staying at Hogwarts until September 1st…"

"No Albus, I'd rather stay here until the welcoming feast. I knew I'd annoy Voldemort when I accepted the job, I'm ready to welcome him if he shows on my doorstep."

Albus sighed unhappily but knew that convincing his old friend was a task doomed from the start. He approached the unconscious demon, still surprised at his current appearance and how _young_ he looked. He took one of his arm in his hand.

"Would you please lower your anti-apparition wards? Just so that I may leave more easily. It will take less than a second."

Moody grumbled, but this time he agreed. He muttered a few spells and nodded in Albus' direction. Albus disappeared with the demon, leaving the blood-stained sofa behind as the only reminder of what had happened.

The Headmaster reappeared in the middle of Hogwarts' infirmary. Now it was up to Poppy and her incredible medical knowledge. Hopefully treating a demon would not be as different as treating a human.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o


	3. Of Truth, Lies and Contracts

I own neither Harry Potter nor Yu Yu Hakusho

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Hogwarts was almost completely silent. The students had yet to arrive, and the only living souls in the castle were the professors, Filch, the Headmaster and Madam Pomfrey, and the last two were the sole people present in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was rummaging in cupboard, but came back quickly to her patient's side, her face pale and her shoulders shivering.

"Merlin Poppy... Are you all-right?"

She glared at Albus.

"Do I look fine? At least I am better than this boy here... Do you have any idea how much blood he lost? It's a miracle he is still alive..."

"Will you have trouble healing him? Won't the fact that he is a demon throw off your spells or..."

"Well, the curses were effective, see the shivers in his limbs? It's the lasting effect of the crucio curse. And if they worked I don't see why my spells wouldn't. I don't know about the potions though, or if he will react badly to them. But he might die anyway if I don't use them. You told me this wasn't his original appearance? Well this one looks fairly human to me, and I'm hoping it will react as such."

Albus sighed, a hand over his eyes. It didn't look like the night would end any time soon. How late was it exactly?

"But God... What did he go through? He is in such a state..."

The nurse murmured while pushing away a strand of red hair away from the young and bloodied face. With all that blood she really could not tell where all the wounds could be... She stepped back, and a quick but powerful cleaning spell later, the battered body of the young man was blood-free. She could see however that it would not last, and decided to simply vanish all his clothes except for his underwear. She did not forget to empty his pockets first however. Once all this was done, she applied with a spray a bit of wound-cleaning potion to every tear in the flesh. She then took an opened pot of a thick orange paste in one hand, and with the other used her wand to knit the wounds together with shiny threads. Including the one on his face. She put her wand in her robe pocket and used her freed hand to apply the balm where she could see some burns. Thankfully, one pot was enough. She then concentrated on the closed wounds and began muttering incantation over each of them. The skin knitted together, the thread disappearing as it did, though leaving behind raw-looking scars. She would have to use dittany later. She only interrupted herself to make a request to Albus.

"Please Headmaster, would you be so kind as to tell Severus that I will need more Star Grass Salve? I only have one pot, and I think that with how sore he will be tomorrow he will appreciate it very much. As for the scarring... I will do my best, especially on his face, but it might take a few days."

"I think he will be thankful enough that you saved him Poppy. It won't matter how long it takes, really."

Albus said as he got up to wake Severus. The man would not be pleased, nor polite at this time of the night.

"Do your best Poppy."

"I will Headmaster, please don't worry. Oh, one last thing before you leave... Could you help me lift him up a little? It would make it easier for me to give him the Blood-Replenishing potion..."

Albus followed the nurse's instruction, putting one hand under the demon's head while trying not get his hand entangled in red hair, and another behind his back. Madam Pomfrey helped him get her patient mostly seated, and when he was she forced the red-head's mouth open. She poured a potion in his mouth and checked that he swallowed correctly, then, with Albus' help laid him down, but on his stomach this time so she could tend to the wounds and bruises on his back. She tried not to think about the orange paste that must now have covered the clean white sheets. Albus left her to her work, and after a few words of encouragement left the infirmary. He stopped in the doorway, a thought having occurred to him.

"Poppy, should he wake up, respect his demands like you would with any patient. Don't hide the fact that you know he is a demon, but don't keep him away from any of his possessions and be sympathetic at all cost. It is capital that we make a good first impression."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and Albus smiled. Their guest was in good hands.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Green eyes opened, blinking unseeingly because of the brightness of room. Kurama groaned and turned his head to escape all this light. He brought his arm to rest on his eyes and was surprised that it even answered him. He stayed in this position until he felt confident that he wouldn't be blinded by the surrounding light, and finally he found the courage to look around.

His startled eyes were met with Gothic arches decorating tall and beautiful white stained glass windows. He had a mad thought for a second; that he had perhaps passed away and gone to the afterlife. But he didn't remember seeing Koenma or Botan, and he doubted he had done enough good in his life to be allowed paradise.

He looked around further.

He was on what looked like an old hospital bed, with white sheets. There were curtains on each side of his bed, but they had been left open and he saw that he was the only person here. A soft snore corrected that previous assumption, and he discovered someone sleeping just behind his bed curtain. The woman wearing nurse clothes that looked like they came from another time must have stayed with him the whole night, and ended up falling asleep. Kurama raised his arm and pushed the curtain slightly. He discovered her slumped in her chair, her head resting on the stone wall. Her hat had fallen to the floor and her greying hair was a bit of a mess. The whole setting was so unexpected that Kurama wondered if he had accidentally travelled back in time at some point.

He slowly tried to sit, and though he felt awfully sore he was surprised that he no longer felt any of his broken bones, or the weariness that came with blood-loss. He raised the white hospital shirt that had been put on him and discovered that the only remnants of the whole ordeal were thin white scars that would probably disappear on their own, with time and a bit of exposition to sun. He touched his face and could not even feel a scar here. What a relief, that was at least one thing he would not have to explain to his mother once he returned to Japan.

The moment this thought occurred to him, he felt his heart start beating faster in a beginning of panic. More than three days at least! What would his mother think? His eyes searched frantically for his clothes, and though he could not find them he still found his mobile phone quickly enough. It had been left on the bedside table to his left with his identity papers and what little money he had on him at the time of his "abduction". He sighed in relief, and this finally woke up the nurse who straightened up, her eyes half closed until she discovered him sitting and conscious.

"Oh... Oh my! I am so sorry I fell asleep like that! You moved didn't you? You shouldn't have moved yet! You need rest."

Kurama, stunned, watched the ageing woman get up and seem to flutter around without a clear idea of what she had to do, and an astonishing energy for someone who had just woken up after a sleepless night. She then seemed to remember what she was supposed to be doing, because she took a glass of water on the bedside of the bed behind her and put it in his hands with an expression on her face that admitted no refusal on his part. Still a bit bewildered Kurama put his phone back down and took the glass. He sniffed the water, and then tasted it with the tip of his tongue. She did not comment and waited until she saw him take his first sip before smiling and getting up. Kurama drank the whole glass, not having realized until then how thirsty he had been. She came back quickly with a small and beautiful pot in the shape of a star in her hand. The scent it emitted when she opened it was familiar to the fox.

"Aletris farinosa?"

She looked at him surprise. He might not have known the name in English, but the scientific name in Latin was international. Thankfully the glass was empty because he was surprised by the sudden coughing fit that ensued his first words spoken in at least three days. Rarely before had his vocal cords been so raw.

"I will give you a cough potion, as well as something for your voice. And you are correct, though I am more familiar with the name stargrass. Do you want another glass of water perhaps?"

He nodded when he was finally able to, and downed the second glass she gave him.

"I will ask you to lift your shirt. I will apply the salve on your back and torso. It will help against the soreness. I will let you do the same for your legs while I go search for the potions for you throat."

Kurama obediently lifted his shirt. All the little pains seemed to magically disappear the moment she applied the green salve, massaging all the bruises softly until it had completely been assimilated by his skin. She then quickly left, leaving him to put his shirt back on and take off his trousers. His ankle was particularly tender, and he had to put twice the normal amount of medication on it to feel the same relief. In the end he used the entire pot. The nurse, whose name he still did not know, came back with two small phials just as he was putting his trousers back on.

"Please lay back down now. The less activity the better. If you manage to stay put today you won't even limp tomorrow and you should be in perfect condition by Monday. Here, drink these. I better warn you, they taste awful. Our Potion Master does not like to waste time trying to make the medication taste good, and I agree with him. That way I don't have students coming for the littlest things all year long, asking for medication when it's all in their head more than half the time."

So he was in a school? Kurama sniffed both phials but could not identify what was inside. He doubted they would try to poison him after having gotten him back on his feet and did that more out of habit than anything, but this time this was entirely useless. He simply decided to drink them both, as fast as possible if what she said about the taste was true. He did, and it was. He had to put one hand over his mouth to not spit it all out. The matron gave him yet another glass of water that he finished just as fast as the other two. His throat certainly did not hurt any-more, but at what cost? He didn't feel it any-more that was true, but he was pretty certain it was not the only thing he wouldn't be able to feel for the next few days. Food for example... This potion had probably numbed his sense of taste for an indefinite amount of time.

"We will apply some Star Grass Salve before you go to bed tonight as well. It will help you sleep better. What is your name?"

"Kurama, umm..."

"Poppy Pomfrey. You may call me Madam Pomfrey."

"Thank you, for all you did for me."

"It was a request of the Headmaster you see. Though with the state you were in... I could not have in good conscious left you like that. Of course when the Headmaster brought you here I was not sure that I could do much for you, what with you not being human... I never had to heal your kind before so..."

Kurama had frozen and was watching her with wariness.

"Don't look at me like that! My methods worked didn't they? I might not have been sure they would, but I didn't use the most powerful potions on you. I didn't even have to use dittany for the scars. You heal so much faster and better than us humans that it was not necessary."

"How did you know? Where am I exactly?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in Scotland. Headmaster Dumbledore told me, but as to how he knew, you would have to ask him. Should I warn him that you are awake, or do you feel too tired for that?"

The fox yōkai doubted he would be able to sleep until he got some answers, but at the same time he wondered if he even needed them. Could he not simply call his friends, then open a portal to the Makai and leave? But then, what was to say that Voldemort could not summon him back... Perhaps he couldn't do it if he was in the Makai? Still, he would not be able to reassure his mother that he was fine while there, so he would have to return to the human world at some point. Seeing as his mind was running in circle without a clear solution, he asked Madam Pomfrey to call that man, Headmaster Dumbledore, in hope he would hold parts of the puzzle in his hands.

He watched the nurse leave the infirmary, probably to send a message to the Headmaster somewhere Kurama wouldn't hear or see her. He remembered enough of wizardry to know that she should have been able to send the message in less than two seconds without having to leave his side, so a need for discretion was the more logical explanation.

He would not complain however, because it gave him a much needed privacy as well. He should still warn his friends, and he once again turned his attention to his phone. His fingers on the keys, he tried to think of who to call first. His mother? He'd have to tell her that he was okay, but it would be better if he did once he knew what his next move would be. Yusuke? He was not exactly the best person to ask when it came to finding a solution for a complex problem. The boy actually relied on Kurama for that. Genkai was dead a few month earlier. Hiei could not be contacted with a simple phone. Not only did he not have one on him, but he was in the Makai, which was not exactly covered by the human mobile phone network. Same problem for Botan and Koenma. Keiko... well she was actually the most sensible choice. She could warn Yusuke and Botan, and she was intelligent and could easily help Kurama think of an excuse to his mother. They might not be exactly friends yet, but they had gotten closer since Genkai's death, especially with how many parties Yusuke had thrown the last year or so to celebrate the success of his ramen stand.

Now that he knew who to call, Kurama searched for her number, and found it easily (it was above Yusuke's own in the "recently used" list since it was often easier to reach Yusuke by contacting Keiko then by calling him directly). His thumb came above the "call" button and stopped. Kurama tried to force himself to push it, but even that effort was only half-hearted, and he closed the list of contacts without even truly realising it. The moment he understood what had happened, his blood started pumping faster in his veins and he felt the beginning of a cold sweat. He tried calling his mother next, but was confronted with the exact same situation. What was happening to him? Something had been done to him, something else than torture, that was the only possible explanation... But when? He knew Voldemort had not been able to penetrate his mind!

He wondered if he would be able to even respond if someone called him.

He tried to stay in control of his emotions, his eyes staring at the blinking name of his mother on the screen. Wait... Blinking? The moment he noticed the abnormality, his phone shut down with an ominous noise and a smell of burnt electronics, adding more stress to the already frightening situation. Kurama thought he felt his heart stop with the phone's life. How would he contact his mother now? How, if he was unable to even gather the will to do so? Never before had he felt like his reality was catching up to the comedy he kept up for his mother's sake. She would wonder where he was, what had happened to him, and truthfully he doubted he would be able lie his way through easily if he didn't get home fast. But if he went home, he could be summoned back at any moment.

The only reasonable solution would be to deal with that man, Voldemort, then leave the moment the deed was done. But even this solution did not come without its own set of problems. First: killing humans was now forbidden not only by Reikai law, but by the Makai as well, and this Voldemort was human, his reiki gave it away. What good freeing himself would be if he was thrown in prison afterwards? He would have risked it when he was still Yōko Kurama the thief, but now he had his mother to think about too. Second: he had no clue where Voldemort could be!

Kurama put the broken phone back on the bedside table, and rested his head on the stone wall behind him, while gazing at the bright windows in front of him. He couldn't lose his cool now. He needed a clear head if he was to think of a solution to this whole mess. His hands clutching the white sheet of his bed tightly, he attempted to calm his beating heart while concentrating on breathing slowly.

He was distracted by footsteps softly approaching him, as if to try to be as non-intrusive as possible to give him more time to gather his wits. He turned toward his visitor.

He would have to begin somewhere in order to figure out a way to go home, and he decided it would be by seeking some answers. The tall wizened old man to his right seemed like a good place to start.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Albus had received Madam Pomfrey's patronus in his office while tying up the last administrative paperwork for the Triwizard Tournament.

His work was rarely as exciting or spiritual as students made it out to be. Truly, aside from when he was forced into action by either Voldemort or Harry, it was mostly dull paperwork, negotiation with the Ministry, negotiation with the teachers concerning the new study program given by the Minister, handing out punishment to students whose imagination knew no bounds when it came to pranks, and in some rare cases giving felicitations to particularly brilliant students. As such, he was understandably relieved when Poppy warned him that their guest had woken up.

He took his time going to the infirmary. He could have apparated of course, such was the privilege given to Hogwarts' Headmaster, but the sooner this conversation ended, the sooner he would have to return to his work.

So he choose to walk instead.

Some wizards would have called him mad for it. Why walk when you can just apparate? But if you asked Albus, he would tell you that the concept of madness was something highly subjective. In his opinion wizards who used magic to get around at every occasion, and considered walking so under them, were missing out on some things of life, such as taking their time, and were in fact totally bonkers as opposed to his slight and healthy madness.

The moment he reached the infirmary however, he wondered if he should not have walked even slower, for their guest looked lost in thoughts, and his clenched hands gave away his worry. His breathing also looked too slow, like someone trying to keep calm. He approached as silently as possible, hoping to give him more time. It failed, and the demon turned toward him instantly.

He looked frail in his hospital clothes, with his skin still pale thanks to the whole ordeal, and with the slight bags under his eyes. He looked young also, but the depth of his gaze made him seem older than what his slim body suggested. Lastly he was beautiful with his long red hair and deep green eyes, if a bit feminine.

"I am sorry if I tore you out of your meditation."

The demon, and Albus felt strange applying that term to the young man in front of him, shook his head to show that he gave little importance to the interruption.

"You look shaken. Should I ask Poppy to bring some Calming Draught?"

"No, no I will not take anything that affects the mind."

His decided expression showed that he preferred to deal with his emotions on his own, and Albus could understand. The Headmaster detected a faint Asian accent, Japanese if his memory was correct, with a bit of American in it. He looked at the chair next to the bed, then back to the red-head.

"May I?"

A nod, and the Headmaster sat down.

"I suppose you have many questions, and so do I actually. And I believe they may be about the same man." Said the old wizard with an open smile.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Straight to the point then... Do you not wish to know more about him?"

The hard cold look the young man wore was answer enough.

"Then sadly no. Otherwise I would have done something about him myself."

"Who are you to him?"

"He was one of my students. It is said today that I am the only man he ever feared, though I would not put too much weight to what everybody says. It can be misleading. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore is simpler to remember. Feel free to call me however you wish."

"Yōko Kurama. Roughly translated it would mean Kurama the fox demon. I heavily dislike the word demon however. I much prefer yōkai."

"A fox from the East then? A kitsune? I only ever heard of them in ancient texts, I must say I'm excited!"

Albus could tell by the other's physical language that he probably thought him mad and this made him smile in barely concealed amusement.

"I am here to answer your questions and help you however I can, as long as it doesn't endanger anyone other than Voldemort himself of course. Obviously I am ready to host you here to avoid future summonings."

"Why are you willing to help me?" Asked the fox suspiciously.

"Well, I find that sometimes being kind to someone may spur them into returning the favour."

"So you see this as a deal of sorts?"

"Well not quite. If you happened to feel indebted to me and wanted to show the same kindness, I would be most obliged. I would not force anything on you however. In the end it is about what your heart tells you."

A short but telling silence...

"That is not the only reason is it?" Finally asked the yōkai.

"Yes?"

"You also want to ensure that I won't fall in Voldemort's hands and become a tool against you."

"Well, this is not the kind of motive that is suited to being spoken out loud now is it? How much trust would you put in me had I said that?"

The yōkai's expression was almost mischievous. Albus could see the sly fox in front of him completely erasing the unassuming appearance of a feminine young man.

"I would give you enough. For a simple reason; it means my protection would come above all else."

Albus' eyes twinkled madly hearing the requirements the fox insinuated.

"Well I think we understand each other perfectly then don't we? Could you tell me what effects the summoning had? I'm sure you must have noticed things that could be of some use."

Kurama told him everything relative to the summoning, and what he thought were the after-effects. He did not tell Albus who it was he had tried to contact in Japan (tried being the key word), but Albus had seen his identity papers and knew he would be able to find out if he did some research.

He had no intention of doing that for the time being however. Their trust was fragile and had a business-like tone to it. He wouldn't do anything that could shake it yet, not until he was certain he could be forgiven for doing it.

Albus didn't reveal everything he knew either, fearing that it might put Harry in danger. What would the yōkai do if he found out that Albus' "guesses" came from informations a boy gave him? And that said boy had visions of the very same man Kurama was after? To what lengths was he ready to go to escape England and Voldemort? Albus was not ready to trust a dangerous creature quite to that extent. He did say that he suspected, from what Kurama had described to him of course, that it might have been a goblin ritual.

The shock on the yōkai's features had him question the fox further, until Kurama reluctantly revealed that he had come into contact with goblins more often than with wizards, and that their interactions had never been the most friendly.

So he had a... difficult relationship with goblins. Albus certainly could reach his own conclusions. Kitsune, from what he had read about them a long time ago, were overly curious, liked to mingle with people's life, to gather rumours and secrets to use later. Goblins were mostly asocial and liked their secrets too much, to the point that they would hide them behind powerful enchantments. He doubted the two races could have gotten along.

Albus almost sighed. His theory was getting more plausible. The ritual was most likely made by goblins, probably goblins with a grudge too, and Voldemort had somehow gotten his hands on it. This made solving the problem harder. He would have to ask for the goblins' help, or at least request that they allow him access to their large libraries. In both cases, convincing them would be difficult at best. They couldn't know he was doing these researches for someone else, especially for a fox yōkai, or he would lose their support altogether.

In the end they managed to find an agreement.

Kurama would stay in Hogwarts and together they would invent a cover for him. That way he would be protected from Voldemort, and Albus would do all he could to break the links of the summoning, while being able to keep an eye on him until they were certain it was safe for Kurama to return to Japan. They went so far as sealing the contract with a magical vow, as requested by Kurama himself. The magic tying him to England would restrict his movements anyway, staying in Hogwarts was not such a sacrifice. And that way he could be certain that Albus would not lie to him and delay his researches just to have him under his thumb. The contract would ensure that he would do his best.

Albus was rather happy with the terms of the contract, but he did notice the fox yōkai seemed rather downcast despite his impressive control over his emotions. He easily guessed why. Unless Albus did it for him, Kurama had no way to contact anyone. And the fox apparently refused to tell Albus who he needed to contact. Was it because the summoning made it impossible? Or because he would rather leave the Headmaster in the dark? Both could be the reason. His phone had also burned the moment he had activated it. That meant that for the time being the yōkai could not contact the friends, and probably also the family, he had in Japan.

Albus hoped Kurama did not leave too much of a life behind, because this could take months.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Kurama watched the smoking remnants of the table between him and Ollivander. He had to sigh. _"You certainly are a hard case..."_

"You certainly are a difficult case young man."

He knew, he just _knew_ the man would say that. Perhaps his sudden ability to predict what people said had something to do with the small mountain of wands now lying haphazardly on the floor.

"I know I was only an apprentice when you came to my shop Albus, but I don't remember your wand being that hard to find. I expected his wand to be slightly similar to yours since you told me he is your cousin, but it seems phoenix doesn't agree with him..."

"Well, it does agree with me... To an extent."

Mentioned Kurama while thinking of Yusuke.

"Not to the extent where you can use it at least. Dragon doesn't either..."

Well yes, but it would have suited Hiei.

Why was he getting a wand one may ask, especially since he was a high A-Class, perhaps even low S-Class yōkai by now...? For his cover. A muggle in Hogwarts could not have been explained, and a squib would have been difficult too. It wasn't like they needed another caretaker, and Albus had clearly said that no one would believe someone like Kurama would restrict himself to such a job. Kurama had to agree... His manner of speaking, but even the way he looked suggested someone instructed, more suited to being a student or a teacher. Except he looked too young to be a teacher. That left the students. But to be a student you needed to be able to use magic (or reiki, as Kurama knew it). And luckily Kurama had enough reiki thanks to his "human" body, and was familiar enough with its uses though he had never actively tried to use it. Apparently Albus had guessed as much, because he had reacted perfectly well to Madam Pomfrey's magic and potions. Better than a muggle would have.

It figured even Kurama's more human body wasn't normal. How this had happened was anyone's guess, but considering Kurama hadn't received a letter from a magic school in Japan it must have happened rather late. Kurama blamed Yusuke. Whether it was justified or not mattered little.

"But worse of all is unicorn hair! Actually dragon heartstring works better than the other two. Perhaps the problem is the wood? Now that is another difficulty entirely. Apparently you need a flexible and rather long wand. I managed to figure out that much at least. To tell the truth young man, you are suited to many different woods, as if wood liked you a bit too much, but at the same time they lack something, the elements of one other wood. They lack duality."

"Could you not use two different woods?"

Kurama wondered curiously.

"I don't usually do that, but I may need to... I dislike this practice very much, it's reckless and dangerous. The different woods usually end up fighting for dominance and the wand becomes more fragile. Other wand-makers do that regularly, but I try to avoid it. Of all the woods willow suits you the best, but you are free to choose your second wood."

"Entirely free?" Kurama asked with a bit of shock.

"Well, among the ones that reacted well to you."

"Which were...?"

The number of wands they had tested already was simply too large for Kurama to have remembered all the different woods they had been made of. They now made a small carpet on the floor, and the fox yōkai didn't know which had reacted better among all of them. Dumbledore stayed a silent spectator, but it was obvious to Kurama that he was using the opportunity to observe him.

"So far: cherry, cedar, beech and acacia. Please wait, I will search for the four bits of wood."

Ollivander disappeared in the back of the shop without waiting for their answer. He came back too fast for Kurama and Dumbledore to start a conversation, with a large and heavy-looking box under one arm. He waved his wand at the ash on the floor, and Kurama watched the table slowly recreate itself.

"Your talents at transfiguration amaze me Garrick." Said Dumbledore, with admiration.

"You know how this business is Albus. Things tend to get broken in this shop. Charms and transfiguration are necessary to me, and I certainly have enough training daily..."

He opened the box. Many different woods were stashed inside, but he only got four out and placed them on the table.

"Now young man, please come closer."

He waited for Kurama to join him in front of the table.

"You need to choose one. Only one. Don't choose it because it looks more beautiful or because it smells better. You must feel with which you share more affinity, and this happens within your heart, not within your mind."

Kurama had a simpler way. He reached out to them, his fingertips lingering upon each dead wood, his yōki awakening it, bringing life where there was none. They looked no different, but they now answered back, sucking his yōki avidly. He tried reaching with his reiki. The exercise was difficult and his reiki answered like a rusty, long-unused machine. His yōki battled this opposite energy, making the task harder. Kurama knew he wasn't a hanyō, and unlike this natural mix of energy which began in the womb, his existence was artificial. Finally he managed to mingle both oil and water, and the two began a difficult negotiation between the woods and each-other. _"Willow"_ said his reiki, and Kurama understood why willow had reacted to him, but hadn't suited him whole. His yōki called for cherry, and the other woods did not entirely fulfil its requirements.

Kurama seized the cherry wood and presented it to Ollivander who took it without questions.

"Will you create an entirely new wand?" He asked the wand-maker.

"Yes, of course. It's the only solution. I don't have any wand with two different woods. I can make one, but it will take a few days."

"Will it be ready for the beginning of the school year?" Asked Dumbledore.

"It is unlikely. Perhaps I will have finished by Tuesday, in which case it should arrive at Hogwarts by Wednesday morning."

"Hopefully in time for charms." Said Albus.

"Hopefully." Agreed Ollivander. "Well, there is nothing more I can do for you at the moment. Had you come earlier it would have been a different story of course..."

"My young cousin only arrived in England yesterday." Albus answered the unspoken question with a pleasant smile. "I insisted that he wait until then rather than buy a wand in Japan. Your reputation is known worldwide among wand-makers, and I wanted the perfect wand for him."

Ollivander's curiosity was squashed by the pride he felt at hearing the compliment. Kurama kept a perfectly straight face through the entire lie.

Cousin yes. Not only would it explain the regular trips Kurama may have to make to see the Headmaster, but it would also explain the fact that Dumbledore allowed him to enter his school without having to pay for it, and directly in fourth year despite him being officially sixteen years old, only one year before being considered an adult in the magical world (one of the advantages of being a yōkai was looking younger than you are: he was getting closer to twenty-two actually. How did he explain it at work? Well, there was also much to be said about the benefits of being Japanese).

Dumbledore thanked Ollivander, and Kurama followed him outside.

"Tomorrow is Sunday." Said the Headmaster lightly. "We will sort you before the students arrive. After all, the sorting hat never came in contact with your kind before. I cannot begin to guess how he will react to you."

It seemed safer indeed. Not that Kurama knew what the sorting hat did exactly, but if it allowed him to avoid attracting more attention to himself than he would surely get... Kurama tried to ignore the stares the people in Diagon Alley sent their way. Would this year be worst than his high-school years?

"Professor Dumbledore..." Kurama began, his tone barely anxious when compared to what he really felt.

"Please call me Albus. If we are to keep the cover we created, it would be better if you called me by my first name Kurama." Said the Headmaster, just loud enough for the fox's sharp hearing.

"Albus then. As your cousin, I have to ask... Just how well-known are you?"

Just what sort of social nightmare should he expect?

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

**AN:** Should you notice abnormalities with the timeline, this is because of different reasons: not all the timelines recreated by fans agree, and I had to do some modifications to the ones found on internet because they were somewhat illogical sometimes. So to suit the plot better, I twicked it here and there...

Oh, before you ask... No Kurama won't take Albus' family name ^^ . If they go with the cover story of "cousins" the more distant the better. In which case it would be most unlikely for Kurama to have the exact same family name. You can start sighing in relief now XD

That's all! Please review! (And if you have suggestions for the story, feel free to share. I can't guarantee that I will integrate them of course, but if you feel I'm missing some important details or characters interactions later on, then I will try my best to correct that)


	4. The Foreign Fox

I own neither Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

_D__ark bec__o__me__s__ light. __Kurama __is__ in what look__s__ like an underground room. It must have been dug in the earth under a tree, because large roots gr__o__w between the dark rock of the wall__s__. What look__s__ like a closet ha__s__ been dug on one side of the room. It __i__s open, and a child st__ands__ in front of it, a bottle full of insects in one hand, the other rummaging the clothing, trying to choose in which clothe to put the future prank. The child ha__s__ a porcelain skin, and straight reddish-brown hair that __barely reach__ his chin. Two red canine ears and a tail c__an__ also be seen._

"_What do you think you are doing young man!"_

_The ears on the child's head flatten, and his tail starts swishing nervously. Two fearful golden eyes turn toward the tall and beautiful figure of a woman with pale skin and long silver hair. She also has a tail and ears. Her face is unclear, like the memory has somehow been muddled here._

"_I... Uh...Wanted to surprise Dad..."_

"_So I can see. You are lucky I am the one who discovered you. That's too bad though... Today your favourite food was planned, but I just found out I don't have all the ingredients I need... Ah, well..."_

"_You can't do that!"_

"_That's curious... I was sure I could. Is there a reason I couldn't? Ah yes... I just said I didn't have the ingredients didn't I? Then I guess you're right, I can't."_

_She then leaves, followed by her young child, still trying to convince her not to do that to him. The memory dissipates._

_._

_._

_._

_What's happening?_

_._

_._

_._

"_Yōko are a tribe of the kitsune, and among kitsune they are the most powerful. We are born as normal red foxes, and after a hundred years of exposition to yōki we change and become yōkai, like you. But unlike other kitsune our fur change colour and becomes silver when we get our second tail, and we lose our ability to transform into foxes completely. We are immensely more powerful than most yōkai. Remember that my child, and until you turn one thousand years old and your fur becomes silver, hide your title. Until then you are only Kurama. If you are careless you could be killed by greedy hunters who seek the power they think our tails contain. A father never should have to survive his son."_

_._

_._

_._

_Blood splatters every-where. He is too afraid to move._

_The hunters' voices are too loud for his fox ears._

_He crushes them to his head with his small hands._

_._

_._

_._

_I must get out!_

_._

_._

_._

_A young man is standing alone on top of a hill. The deep clouds in the sky of the Makai are pierced in one place, and he is looking at the moon in a transfixed sort of way. His now long reddish-brown hair is flowing lightly behind him, his ears are high on his head, and his tail is unmoving. Then, the clouds move slightly, and the light of the moon hit him. Slowly the colours seem to seep out of him. _

_When the clouds cover the moon again, the young man standing there has long silver hair, and a tail and ears of the same colour, as if the moonlight had covered him entirely. The young man looks at his still smooth porcelain hand, and disappears in the forest. The memory ends here._

_._

_._

_._

_You're the one responsible for this!_

_._

_._

_._

_Kurama looks at his scarred hand. He knows the burn will disappear after a few years. If he lives long enough that is._

_He hadn't chosen the path of thieving for some sort of imaginary security it could provide him. The flutter of bat wings attracts his attention._

"_Who should we target next?"_

_His best friend was always the most eager to return to work of the two of them._

"_We go to Ningenkai. Our next targets are goblins."_

_He is awarded a shark like smirk. The pointy canines and the hat's shadow give his friend an eerie aura._

"_I must say Yōko, I like the variety you bring to our thefts. Your ideas have the merit of being novel."_

_._

_._

_._

_I found you... Out!_

_._

_._

_._

"_Kuronue!"_

"_Forget about me Kurama! Go! Run!"_

_._

_._

_._

_GET OUT!_

_._

_._

_._

Kurama opened his eyes with a spasm. The anger bubbling deep inside of him got out like lava and burning ashes from an explosive volcano. He tore the hat off his head and nearly threw it in Albus' face. It fell somewhere behind the old man, barely missing the fire in the chimney. The hat gave a shout of surprised offence.

Albus stared at the glaring fox with obvious astonishment.

"I... had not quite expected that..."

"He clung to me Albus! His mind got dragged in my exploration as the result! He didn't even let me finish! He threw me out, then off his head just like that!" Protested the affronted hat.

Kurama sent them both murderous looks.

"Never. Again. No one touches my head any-more."

Voldemort attempts at mind-raping him, controlling his thoughts through his summoning, and his imperio spells had been more than enough for his thousand years old lifetime.

"I... Sorry, I should have realized... After what Tom did I should have expected your reaction."

The Headmaster looked truly apologetic, but Kurama did not really feel inclined to forgive him at the moment.

"You could have warned me..."

"I would have done so, except I did not know the Hat would even work on you."

Said Albus while putting the Hat back on his desk.

"You could _still_ have warned me."

The guilt that flashed briefly in Albus' eyes told Kurama what he needed to know. The man had hoped to gather information on him without arising his suspicion.

Kurama tried to calm down. The old wizard had his reasons. Good reasons too. He was kind enough to trust him around children, but this trust was not entirely free of wariness. It should not have come as a surprise that he wanted to find out more about the yōkai that would hide among his students.

Kurama, now calmer, sighed.

"But I understand."

He would have been even more protective of his family. He could not fault Albus for doing what he could to protect those under his responsibility. Albus smiled in thanks.

"I must say I am infinitely grateful that Tom summoned someone as understanding as you..."

Indeed. The wizards had gotten lucky this time around. Kurama knew that more than half of the Makai's population was not nearly as peaceful as him, and not as used and attached to humans. Any other yōkai would have felt cornered (and he had in fact the same impression), and started a rampage around the country, killing and destroying everything in its path until it found Voldemort, revealing the Makai's existence to humans in the worst way possible.

Kurama took the hat in one hand, and Albus did nothing to stop him, though he tensed. In a sign of good-will he sat back in the armchair and put the Hat on his head. He opened his mind but this time he did not grip the presence he felt entering his memories. He kept his eyes open and watched Albus relax, his stance becoming friendlier. The hat continued to grumble, but accomplished its mission. It took a long, long time... And finally it could give its judgement.

"You are a very difficult case..." Now, where had he heard that before? "Not that I expected anything else considering you are not human to begin with. You have a complicated heart, divided, opposite... It is difficult to say what the real you is like. It does not help that some of your memories are muddled, and that there may be some that are sealed away. Do you happen to know why?"

"Maybe... My 'death' and 'rebirth' are probably the cause" Answered Kurama, unsettled at the idea that he might have lost some memories from his previous life. "My soul probably took some damage when it was left wandering without a body, so some memories may have been lost then. But the first months as an infant are also a blur I can barely remember. I had been too weakened, and my new... human body was not up to remembering anything..."

He had decided to explain that to Albus after they had gone to Ollivander's shop, so they could try to understand where his magic came from. It might be of importance to break to summoning later on, and Kurama could see that very clearly. Albus had concluded that the magic had not come from the presence of a yōkai soul in a human body, but from the body itself. Perhaps that was the reason his wandering and weakened soul had even been attracted to that body in the first place. It could have been attracted to the power it contained. Why his magic (or reiki) did not develop until recently was another mystery, but Kurama theorized that it was because his yōki had developed first, and both could not have done so at the same time or his child body would not have survived the strain.

"This must be the reason. I have little doubt that you are right. No soul would come out unscathed from such an event." The hat nodded as it spoke. "But I managed to see enough. You are suited to both Gryffindor and Slytherin. Gryffindor for your sense of sacrifice and the courage you showed in that bloody tournament... Taking the place of your team-mates so that your team would not lose and die... This was selfless, and reckless, and perhaps a bit foolish too... But it was also a proof of loyalty. Qualities Gryffindor held in high esteem. Slytherin would also have been proud to consider you one of his students. You are sly, you have a clear disregard for rules, you also have ambitions and the means to make them come true. You are not suited to Ravenclaw, though I considered it because of your intelligence. You do not seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge. You seek it to reach your goals, which is a Slytherin characteristic. You are patient and hard-working, but you lack the instinctive trust and kindness of Hufflepuff."

Kurama decided to intervene quickly.

"Gryffindor please."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"If what Albus told me is true, many children of Death Eaters are in Slytherin. I would have to keep my guard up the entire time I will be there. I would rather be somewhere where I can fall asleep a little more peacefully..."

Kurama doubted Voldemort would trust children to do his dirty work, but he had to come back to Japan in one piece at all cost. It would be harder to collect informations on Voldemort's movements if he was in the house of Gryffindor, if what Albus had told him about the rivalry between these two houses was true, but that had never stopped him before. Also, it would be easier to gain the trust of the light side if he was in Gryffindor. If he ended in Slytherin, he had a feeling he would be watched very closely by Albus, and Snape the Head of House, and that would restrict his movements way too much for his liking.

"I see the point you are trying to make."

The Hat agreed, though Kurama knew it must have caught his other unspoken arguments.

"Well then, Gryffindor it is!"

Kurama got up, took the hat off and gave it back to Albus. He was glad this was behind him.

Now he just had to ready himself psychologically for his great come back into school-life.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

The rain outside was not falling, it was pouring. Pouring buckets even. The students couldn't have arrived under a worse weather. The rain made such racket that a human would have been unable to hear the horde of carriages that stopped in front of the castle, nor the shouts of both excitement and dismay that came the moment the students left them, and started to run up the stairs, trying and failing to not get completely drenched.

The red-haired fox in the owlery could hear it perfectly.

This place was the yōkai's only remaining mean of communication. Starting today he was stuck in Hogwarts, and his phone was dead. Albus had told him it had been okay as long as he hadn't tried to use it, but that technology usually reacted badly to magic.

How the red-head missed Genkai... She had been good at mixing reiki and machines. But then, the more he stayed in the wizarding world, the more he realized something: magic may have been reiki, but it reacted differently. Perhaps it was because of a genetic reason.

So the owlery was the last place he could send a message from. Fat lot of good it did him. The parchment in his hand was blank, not even stained by a drop of ink which could have accidentally fallen on it. For this to happen, he would have needed to get to the point where he could actually put the quill in the ink without freezing.

Albus had suggested that the summoning was meant to imprison him within a certain perimeter, so that he could not attempt an escape, making him actively resist any attempt to leave England or contact anyone outside the perimeter. It was plausible. Goblins would certainly be ready to go to such length to get his head on a pike... Talk about past deeds coming back to haunt you.

He crushed the blank letter in his hands, watching the owls all around, his mind worked fast but still could not find a solution to his dilemma. That was his way of dealing with things, think, think, and think some more. Usually it resulted in him managing to get out of trouble, but he now had a suspicion that it may have been a mean to avoid thinking about the implications of his situation, and what the consequences would be on his life. He did not feel ready to think about Shiori. He doubted he would be until he had found a solution... And if it came too late then not even then...

He put the empty letter back in his robe pocket and left the owlery, revelling in the rain that immediately soaked his clothes and hair and took his mind off graver problems.

He would have to dry up and change before he went to the Great Hall.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

To Harry, the sorting seemed to last hours. It was the first time he actually watched it (due to unfortunate circumstances), but his hunger made watching far less interesting than he had thought it would be.

He had been amazed to see that Dennis Creevey was about as hyper as his older brother Colin, and that falling into the lake and being pushed back into the boat by a giant squid had not frightened him at all. If anything the tiny boy had seemed excited by the experience. It was no surprise that he ended up in Gryffindor.

Harry's eyes roamed the teacher's table, and lingered on the empty chair he had noticed earlier. He recognized all the teachers, so if there was no new faces this most likely meant that the seat was supposed to be for the Defence professor. Why was the seat empty though? Hermione was worried that it meant Professor Dumbledore had not found a teacher, but that couldn't be it could it? Who would teach them in that case?

He heard the door of the great hall open. It had been almost silent, as if whoever had pushed the heavy doors had tried to be as discreet as possible, but seeing the size of them, it should have been obvious that they would make noise anyway. Harry turned away from the sorting to look at the newcomer and did a double take, along with half the students who had turned to look as well. He could tell he wasn't a girl only after checking a second time and finally noticing the boy's uniform. He looked vaguely Asian, but only vaguely. The blood-red hair and bright green eyes that would probably be noticed from miles away threw off that first impression. What truly surprised Harry though was that he couldn't remember ever seeing him in Hogwarts before. Granted he didn't know every students from the other houses, especially the older ones, and this boy looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, but his appearance was striking enough that Harry _should_ have noticed him sooner. Especially since he wore the Gryffindor colours on his uniform. Meaning he must have been among the people Harry lived with the entire year. Unless he hadn't been in Hogwarts the previous years. It was obvious he wasn't a first year, so who was he?

Everybody must have have had about the same thoughts because excited and puzzled whisper slowly filled the Great Hall, distracting people from the on-going sorting.

To Harry, the boy looked uncomfortable for about half a second. The expression was gone so fast that he almost missed it. The red-head's face was perfectly composed while he walked toward the teachers' table. He murmured something to McGonagall looking contrite, but not nearly as intimidated as he should have been considering the Transfiguration Professor's scathing look. Harry didn't remember the professor ever looking so irritated. The fact that she merely waved him off and sent Dumbledore an even darker glare when he waved the boy over to him was even stranger if possible. Harry didn't remember McGonagall ever being so hostile neither. Never to the point of extending that hostility to Dumbledore. She had been irritated and annoyed with Lockhart, but she had never taken it out on the Headmaster.

Lockhart... That was an interesting comparison actually, seeing as the girls seemed to be ogling the strange boy, not overly concerned by the delicate face, slim silhouette and long hair that made him look perhaps too feminine. Hermione, thank Merlin, was past that stage, and was merely looking at the proceedings, mystified.

"Who's the bloke? It's a bloke right?"

Blurted Ron over the sound of McGonagall's voice calling the last of the first years.

"No clue..." Answered Harry honestly.

"About both?"

"About the 'who' part."

"He was never in Gryffindor tower before was he? I don't remember seeing him." Said Hermione. "And the other houses look just as surprised as we do... Perhaps he is a transfer student? But no... Wizarding schools don't do that usually. They like to keep their magical methods a secret."

Yes, Harry remembered her explaining that to them in the train. Ron scratched his head in thoughts.

"A late bloomer? You know how Neville's magic appeared so late his Grandmother thought he was a Squib? Like that..."

"Well, it could happen I suppose..." Muttered Hermione, but she did not seem convinced.

McGonagall finished the sorting and called the last name on her list ("Whitby, Kevin!" - "HUFFLEPUFF!"). She picked up the stool and the hat and left the Great Hall with them. Ron had completely forgotten about his hunger thanks to the unexpected event, and it was a chance because Dumbledore had gotten to his feet, but not to announce that the feast could begin, but rather to introduce the boy who was now turned toward them. The Headmaster smiled brightly, and perhaps even proudly? Before he started speaking.

"I must say that this year will be special for many reasons, which I will further explain at the end of the Feast, but at the beginning of this summer I had not expected it to be quite that special for myself as well. Not until a short trip to Japan, brought on by a long investigation of which I will spare you the details, for I have no doubts it would be utterly boring for youngsters such as you."

If anything, Dumbledore's introduction of his speech made everybody even more bewildered. They didn't have to wait long for an answer. After a short pause, the Headmaster finally appeased their curiosity.

"Let me introduce to you Kurama Minamino, a distant relative of mine, who graduated not long ago under the teaching of a spiritual master in Japan. His magic having been rather unstable the first few years of a normal wizarding scholarship" – Hermione looked at Ron in shock at his guess having been mostly correct – "He has been unable to follow the normal curriculum, and wizarding schools have refused to accept him now that his magic has stabilized, as he is close to being officially an adult. That is the reason Hogwarts will today receive a new student from Japan, and I hope you will make him feel most welcome in our country, so far away from his own."

Well, "appeased their curiosity" might not been the correct words to use... Shock rippled through the Great hall, and passionate chatter rose up. The Headmaster had to use an Amplifying Charm to make his voice be heard over the ruckus in order to ask for silence. Once the noise had receded to a more acceptable level, Dumbledore continued his speech.

"Kurama has been sorted in Gryffindor and will be residing in the fourth year dormitory. The reason for that is that I could not put him directly in the OWL year since he has much to catch up on, and I preferred that he spends some time with people closer to his own age than first years, people who would also have an easier time helping him with his work."

Harry and Ron shared shocked looks between them and anybody from their dormitory they could see.

"That is all for the moment. Kurama, you may go sit with your house-mates."

The red-haired boy gave the Headmaster a silent nod, and went to seat. Harry, Ron and Hermione could no longer see him, seeing as the people around him blocked their view.

"Now that this is done, I won't make you wait any longer: tuck in!"

"Hear, hear!" Chorused Harry and Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes when she saw both boys start to wolf down mountains of food. Their antics were forgotten the moment she discovered that there were house elves at Hogwarts. She refused to eat another bite.

On another part of the Gryffindor table, a Japanese red-head also had trouble eating, but for widely different reasons. People wouldn't let him.

Not that he was very hungry to begin with to tell the truth, but he might have tried some of the food around him – it looked delicious enough – had he not been assaulted by questions. He wondered what he had done wrong recently to deserve his fate.

"People, people! Let the bloke eat! Now give him space... Yes, just like that, enough for the three of us too."

The students gave the three incoming teenagers a wide berth, creating more space around Kurama as well. The young man could finally breath. The three sat around him, the red-haired twins on each side of him, the dark-skinned boy on the other side of the table. The fox went from feeling free to feeling surrounded.

"So... you're a relative of Dumbledore?"

Said one twin in a speculative manner Kurama recognized all to well. Pranksters. The best kind, but not exactly the kind you wished to be in such close proximity with... He nodded cautiously, wearing a polite but rather distant smile.

"I'm Fred." Right twin. Hopefully he wasn't lying.

"And I'm George, his better half." Said the twin on his left. Kurama committed their smell to memory so he wouldn't mix them up. "And this is our best friend Lee Jordan."

Lee waved in a relaxed manner, an amused smile on his face.

"So you're in the same house Dumbledore was in, makes sense. When were you sorted?" Asked the second twin, George.

Couldn't they have continued with yes/no questions? Kurama had just taken some pie which smelled delicious...

"Earlier today. We thought sorting me with the first years would be a bit strange."

Fred nodded in understanding, but his expression asked for more information.

"And well, I asked to be in Gryffindor, I was suited to one other house as well, but I heard their reputation is... well... And from what little I saw of their Head of House, we wouldn't have gotten along."

He saw their eyes widen. Good. Now if they could leave him alone...

"You were suited to Slytherin?!"

Cue the innocent look. Having green eyes and long lashes helps. He then concentrated on his piece of pie and used the moment of surprise to take a bite. He nearly closed his eyes in pure pleasure. Nearly. You don't close your eyes around pranksters. The three friends started whispering, not at all conscious that Kurama could have listened in if he so wished. Luckily for them, prying into teenagers' conversations had never been one of the fox's hobbies. It didn't take long for them to round up on him again.

"Well, we'll just have to beat the Slytherin tendencies out of you won't we? At least you had one good reflex and choose Hogwarts' best house. But then, you're Dumbledore's relative, you can't be half bad." Grinned Lee.

Kurama very much doubted they would be able to beat three thousand years of cunning habits out of him, and they weren't welcome to try. He did not tell them as much, but he also did not acknowledge the mission they had imagined for themselves with more than a polite smile. After that they continued to chat, but at last they let him eat as well. Kurama had to admit that he was surprised everything went so well. He was even enjoying himself and didn't brood too much over his problems. The three friends had integrated him into the festive mood of the first day of school, and made him participate in their amusing conversation. They offered to give him some lessons on the most amusing form of charms and potions, and Kurama, never one to refuse an occasion to learn more, agreed easily. "Fun" could sometimes be tweaked to become a weapon or distract your enemy, because "fun" was often unpredictable.

The food was soon completely finished, and even Kurama had eaten more than his fill. Dumbledore got up and called for their attention.

"So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

Kurama leaned toward George.

"Does anyone actually bother?"

"Yeah, crazy as it sounds... One of our little brother's best friends probably did read it. We have no proofs, but she's that kind of girl... She probably knows it by heart too."

"… forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

Fred, George, Lee and numerous others looked as if lightning had hit them... Kurama, not knowing what Quidditch was did not understand what was so horrible about the prospect.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy, but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts…"

He was interrupted rather brutally by the doors of the Great Hall banging open. It seemed everybody that night was intent on being late, and Professor McGonagall looked so annoyed that Kurama didn't envy the students who would have her tomorrow.

In the doorway stood a man that almost looked like a yōkai with how badly scarred his face was. In a way he reminded Kurama of Mukuro. Like her, his struggles had been literally carved in flesh. Parts of his body, his leg, a bit of his nose and one of his eyes, were missing. Moody Mad-Eye. Albus had described him to Kurama. This was the man whose wards had almost finished him, who had found him and hadn't killed him, calling Albus instead. Kurama was not sure what kind of person this was, nor what his motive for letting him live was, especially considering how much there was to lose if they let him live, as opposed to how much easier their life would have been if they had ended his life. He was an unknown, but a paranoid ex-auror had spared him. Of course he could simply have done it out of the goodness of his heart, but Kurama was as paranoid as the scarred man he was observing, and he had a hard time believing this could have been the reason.

He reached Dumbledore, shook hand with him and they exchanged a few whispered words. The Headmaster gestured the man to the sole empty seat at the table.

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Albus' optimism was obviously not shared, or people were too shocked by the man to react because silence reigned. "Professor Moody."

No one but Albus and Hagrid, and a giant of a man Kurama had been introduced to during his stay in Hogwarts, applauded, and they stopped very quickly. Kurama himself did not join them, feeling it would be better if he acted like any other student.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year"

Kurama was not prepared for the explosion of noise that suddenly dazed him, nor for the "You're JOKING!" Fred shouted in his ear.

Kurama missed most of what followed. He had one hand over his right ear, not realizing it made people laugh harder at Fred's intervention. Never shout directly next to a fox's ear. Or a yōkai's ear. When you have the superior hearing of both, it can become a handicap in very noisy environments. He couldn't exactly explain that to the human teenagers, and he was used to loudness around Yusuke, but even the Mazoku restrained himself if he was too close to Kurama. It was easier to be around people who knew what he was for many reasons, and this was one of them.

Albus went on explaining what the Tournament was exactly, when the other schools would arrive, and told them about the age restriction and the final prize. Kurama, even through the growing fog of sleepiness, found the students' faces priceless. Especially the angered expression Fred and George wore. It was obvious they would "waste their time submitting themselves" as Albus had put it. Kurama did not even consider entering it even though he was well over the age limit. Yusuke would have, but the fox yōkai would rather stay as invisible as possible. In a sense this Tournament was a blessing. It would occupy the students' mind so much that they might ignore Kurama to an extent.

"... late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

The walk up to the Gryffindor tower can seem very long when weariness is catching up to you. The infirmary was much closer, and three days of torture added to the fact that he hadn't gotten entirely used to the time difference between England and Japan, made the trip up the endless stairs feel well... endless.

Fred, George and Lee showed him the fourth year dormitory, where the trunk with all the clothes Albus had bought him had been moved, and he more or less crumbled on the bed. He could hear his new room-mates filling the room, but he really didn't feel like answering any-more questions, and while he was playing dead to the world, he fell asleep without even realizing it. When Harry and Ron entered the room, they discovered the new student fast asleep and still dressed on a newly added bed, his hair looking like red blood spilling on the sheets. Knowing their curiosity would not be satisfied tonight, they quashed the excitement of the first night back at Hogwarts followed by the news of the Triwizard Tournament, and prepared to sleep.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

AN: As always, feel free to leave reviews and comment on the chapter! I hope you liked it!


	5. Do as Romans do

I own neither Harry Potter nor Yu Yu Hakusho

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Japan, 2 pm, day of Kurama's disappearance:

Kazuo Hatanaka looked at the clock on his wall again, and the frown on his face became even more prominent. It was not a frown of anger or irritation, but the one he wore when he was starting to feel stressed. Had he been at home, Shiori would have immediately prepared tea for him so he could relax, but he was at work and his wife would not miraculously appear, with her sweet smile and gentle reassuring eyes (whatever people said, Kazuo thought Shuichi really resembled his mother, they had the same kind eyes and the same smile).

That she was not here was actually a bit disappointing, she knew her son better than Kazuo could ever hope to. She might have been able to calm Kazuo down, to tell him that Shuichi was an adult and that he could take care of himself.

But Shuichi was thirty minutes late.

It might not seem like much, but the young man was never late. He rarely took days off too. Kazuo had been trying to encourage his step-son to take a breather, but the red-head usually smiled and answered that work was not tiring to him. Granted the boy was too intelligent for his job, it probably wasn't very challenging for him... But despite all that, despite the fact that he could come in late, and leave early and have done way more than his share of work, he was always on time and stayed until closing hour.

So for him to be thirty minutes late was highly abnormal.

Kazuo kept looking through the glass of his well furnished office. The rest of his employees were working more or less diligently. Some had not returned from their lunch yet, but he knew who these desks belonged to. He would have to speak with the repeat offenders. No bright red hair in view however. He bit his lower lip and got up. He left his office and approached the woman working next to Shuichi; Kaori. If there was one thing that could be counted on when it concerned Shuichi, it was that women usually knew his every moves unless the young man actively tried to avoid them.

"Kaori-san?"

"Shachou-san! What can I do for you?"

The girl looked flustered, probably because Kazuo had caught her staring at Shuichi's empty seat, ignoring the paperwork laying on her desk.

"Would you happen to know where Shuichi-kun is?"

"Well no... He left to buy himself a sandwich like always, but he hasn't come back. I thought it was normal, or that he had warned you, since it isn't like him to be late."

"So you haven't seen him since?"

She shook her head no, looking a bit worried herself. Kazuo knew he had a tendency to be lenient on Shuichi and that was the reason he hadn't called him until now, but he couldn't push back his role as the boy's boss or it would be considered favouritism. He entered his step-son's number in his mobile phone and pressed the green button.

The line was busy.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Japan, 8 pm, day of Kurama's disappearance:

Shiori closed the door of Shuichi's apartment behind her and tried to take calming breaths. This wasn't the first time her son had disappeared without a word. He had always been extremely independent, to the point she had sometimes wondered whether he needed her at all, but he had always come back, with a smile on his face and kind words to reassure her.

But this was the first time he had failed his responsibilities to his family. He had missed school before (although it never had any negative impact on his grades) but Shiori knew her son, better than he probably thought she did. She knew family was of great importance to him. He hadn't always been affectionate, but he had done all he could to make up for it later on. He had taken care of her when she had been sick, he had taken Shu-chan under his wing when she had married Kazuo, he had accepted the job Kazuo had offered him, even though he had received so many invitations from renowned universities. He could have done things that really interested him, but he had taken the job in order to get closer to his step-father so that Shiori would feel at ease, knowing the two of them were getting along just fine. Even though she had tried to dissuade him.

So for him to miss an entire afternoon of work and worry both his step-father and her was absurd.

And just now his apartment had been empty...

"_Don't panic Shiori, there's one person who might know where he is."_

Not that she knew him very well, but she had met him a few times, sometimes with his girlfriend. Though she hadn't figured out how her son and Urameshi-kun could have become friends, best friends even, the two were so different, like day and night really... But she had seen the way they acted around each-other, and she had never seen her son more relaxed than around the other young man. She knew what instinctive and absolute trust was, and this was what the two of them shared. If her son had warned someone about his disappearance, it would be Urameshi-kun.

Too anxious and feeling too much trepidation to wait patiently for a bus, or to walk to the subway stop, she waved her arm at a passing taxi the moment she saw it, thanking the kami for small blessings.

Urameshi-kun's ramen stand was not far from Shuichi's apartment thankfully, and the trip was rather short. The entire time, the driver sent her worried looks, probably because she was biting her nails, and her eyes may have been shining from the tears she was trying to hold back too... She thanked him when she got out, and he made her pay only half the price of the trip, even though she tried to pay it whole. The driver was hearing none of it, and she didn't manage to make him accept her money. She thanked him again, and watched him leave, feeling a bit comforted to see that you could meet good people in the most unexpected places, at the most unexpected times.

She only had to walk a short distance to reach Urameshi-kun. The young man still looked like a thug with his slicked back hair and the tank top showing off his muscular arms. Shiori though knew that there was warmth in his eyes, and that however rough his exterior may have been, the boy was madly in love with one of the sweetest girl she knew, and could be very thoughtful when he wanted. He was laughing at a joke a tall young red-head had made. Kuwabara-kun. She knew him a bit better. She had seen him a lot when Shuichi had tutored him through high school, and her son had even invited him at her wedding. He was a kind young man, with something larger than life about him, and a very chivalrous personality. He may have once been a delinquent, but she guessed he probably hadn't been very good at it.

"Shiori-san!"

And both had met her before the wedding, which meant they had a hard time getting used to the change of family name and they ended-up using her first-name instead. She liked to be addressed with this sort of familiarity by Shuichi's friends.

"How are you doing?" Grinned Yusuke.

"I... You wouldn't happen to know where Shuichi is? I'm sorry for going straight to the point like that but..."

The two boys blinked, and Kuwabara-kun sent a meaningful look to his best friend, before asking the next question.

"No we don't... Why? Did something happen?"

"I don't know for sure, but he never came back from lunch, and missed the entire afternoon of work... His apartment was also empty and he doesn't answer his phone."

Both Urameshi-kun and Kuwabara-kun suddenly looked worried. So they had caught on Shuichi's need of being perfect in everything?

"I didn't see him. He didn't send me any message neither." Said Kuwabara-kun, before adding: "Urameshi, check your phone, you never do."

Urameshi-kun did so, grumbling all the while about Kuwabara-kun being annoying.

"Nope, nothing sorry. Wait, I'll call Keiko, he could have sent her a message for me."

The young man left his stand to get away from them. After a minute he shook his head no in Shiori's direction, and she felt her heart drop. He came back and offered her a glass of water when he saw how her hands were shaking. She didn't sit down, but she took the glass.

"Where could he be..." Whispered Shiori, her face pale.

"What will you do then?"Asked Urameshi-kun warily.

"I will wait until tomorrow... If he hasn't returned by lunchtime I will go to the police..."

Kuwabara-kun frowned.

"Are you sure this is necessary...? This is Ku-Shuichi we are talking about... I'm sure he will come back, if not tomorrow then the day after or something..."

Shiori sent him a murderous look, this was very unlike her actually, and the tall young man shrunk back.

"This is indeed my son we are talking about. He would not have missed work in the first place. Not the work Kazuo has offered him."

"Shiori-san, listen," began Urameshi-kun "We will search for him. If we find nothing then we can call the police right?"

"If we call the police now it might go quicker!" She exclaimed, her voice trembling.

They immediately stopped arguing against her idea, perhaps because she had started crying. She reigned in her feelings and tears quickly. It would not do to worry too soon, she had to be strong. She put the glass (still full) in front of Urameshi-kun, gave a weak smile to show that she wasn't actually angry, and left without leaving them the time to suggest they accompany her home. She wanted to be alone.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Harry was wide awake when his magical alarm rang. The excitement of the first day of school was something he experienced every year, and because of it his first night at Hogwarts was always rather short.

He looked around and saw that Ron was having a hard time untangling himself from his sheets, having apparently decided during the night to become a perfect imitation of a spring-roll... On the other side of the circular dormitory, the bed the nearest from the door was already empty. Harry tried to remember the space there had been in the dormitory before the bed was added, and concluded that the room seemed to have been magically enlarged, like the Weasley's tents.

The new student had already left apparently, which meant he had been awake even sooner than Harry... Just then, the door of their dormitory opened and Minamino entered, his hair damp and fully clothed. The other boys were slowly starting to get up, and were all leaving the room to go to the bathroom and probably take a shower or brush their teeth. Minamino saw him and smiled.

"Hello."

"Ah... Hi."

Harry knew he was staring, but never before had he seen someone quite like the older boy in front of him. He had also never seen someone with the same eyes as him. It was disturbing.

"We didn't introduce ourselves did we? I'm Kurama Minamino, call me Kurama."

"I'm Harry."

"Harry Potter? I have been somewhat disconnected from the wizarding world, but Albus spoke of you quite a bit, though he never told me anything of real importance in the end."

"_Albus"_? And Dumbledore had actually been talking about him? What had he said? Was it good things? Harry liked to think that he and the Headmaster were getting along, but he was still only his student. Kurama must have seen the slight worry on his face, because he only smiled wider.

"He only had good things to say about you if you must know. But he never spoke of anything personal."

Oh... So that meant Harry probably didn't have to worry about having someone else watching him with adoration, and seeing him like some sort of hero. Feeling suddenly more at ease, Harry smiled in thanks and commented on how early Kurama must have woken up, to which the red-head answered "jet-lag" with a slightly forlorn sigh.

"Will you need help getting to the Great Hall? I got lost a lot when I began my first year here."

"Thank you for the suggestion. I remember the path we took yesterday, I should be able to find my way. I'm not so confident when it comes to finding the classrooms though..."

Harry grinned.

"We can show you, since you'll be in the same classes as us."

"That'd be much appreciated."

"Then how about we eat breakfast together? That way we can look at our schedule together as well and you won't have to search for us when it's time to leave for class."

Kurama agreed easily and thanked him. Harry then left to brush his teeth, while trying to be as quick as possible. Ron was nearly finished preparing himself in the dormitory's bathroom and Harry told him that Kurama would be eating with them. He only received a grunt. It was still a bit too early in the morning for Ron to show enthusiasm, but he was apparently not opposed to the idea. They soon got back to the dormitory to prepare their bags and found Kurama waiting for them, sitting on his bed, an open book in hand. Harry recognized the Potion book.

"You don't reckon he's like a second Hermione do you?" Whispered Ron into his hear.

Hermione was waiting for them in the common room, and in Harry's opinion she did a poor job at concealing her curiosity for the new student. Still, she reigned in her questions as much as possible, for which Harry was grateful. Not that he wasn't curious himself, but he was afraid his best friend would scare off the new student, or bore him to death.

He needn't have worried. The two got along wonderfully, and actually it was Kurama who was asking all the questions. For some reason this made Ron somewhat annoyed, but at this hour in the morning, it could pass for early grumpiness.

Kurama questioned Hermione about pretty much anything, from the talking paintings ("They can walk around the entire castle? How does that work exactly...?"), to the layout of the school, its history (Hermione was so glad he asked that question, you could see it on her face), the teachers, what they had been taught since first year ("I can help you catch up if you want." - "Yeah, Hermione is definitely the best for that."). They found out that though he had been taught to control his magic, and learned some tricks under a spiritual master, his master only taught him during week ends, and that he had gone to muggle school the rest of the time. Hermione had asked him what year he was.

"I just finished high school. I graduated at around the same time my master told me my apprenticeship was finished."

"But you're sixteen aren't you? Isn't it too young to have finished high school? Unless the Japanese system is very different?"

"No, you're right. High school in Japan is from sixteen to eighteen, but I skipped grades twice, once in junior school, and again in middle school. – Hermione looked very impressed and Ron grumbled some more – The school year ends in March, and my birthday is in December, so I was always one of the youngest in my class, even before skipping grades."

"You didn't enter a university then?" Said Hermione confused.

"Well, I wanted to work a bit first, and travel around the world with the money I made before entering University. I was still working when Albus came to Japan and found me. He suggested I come to his school, and since I knew the possibility of finally catching up on my magic studies would not present itself again if I missed this chance, I agreed immediately."

"Found you?"

Said Harry surprised by the choice of the word "found". Kurama gave them an explanation.

"He was not sure he still had family in Japan. He had found a hint that an uncle of his he had never heard about before, had left for Japan before his birth, and he was trying to complete the family tree. I'm his last remaining relative on that side of his family."

"But your parents...?" Said Harry with a frown.

"My dad was the one related to him, but he died in a car accident a few months before my birth. My paternal grand-parents are also deceased. I don't think they had any magic too."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, I never met any of them, this subject is not painful for me."

"But then, how are you related to Dumbledore?"

Asked Ron, remembering the part about "an uncle of Dumbledore" and "before his birth". The Headmaster was already very old, so how far back were they actually related?

"We are first cousins thrice removed."

Answered Kurama with a smile which grew amused when he noticed that Ron was looking a bit lost. Harry had to resist the urge to start counting on his fingers to actually figure out how far back "thrice removed" went...

Breakfast was uneventful, aside from the fact that McGonagall gave Kurama the evil eye for some reason when she distributed the schedules. Kurama looked very pleased to see that they would be outside all morning, and that their first class would be Herbology. When the owls came in, Harry looked up, hoping to see Hedwig with a letter from Sirius, and was very disappointed to see that she had yet to come back once again. He didn't have much time to worry over it, because they soon had to leave the Great Hall and go to class.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

"For some reason, I feel like this situation is incredibly unfair. And the worst is, I can't put my finger on why exactly."

Said Ron, looking toward Kurama who was already squeezing the pus out of his third bubotuber, a plant whose pus was very valuable. He didn't seem to find the work hard or disgusting, and worked with an incredible efficiency.

"What do you mean?"

Asked Harry distractedly while pressing a swelling of his own bubotuber and collecting the yellowish-green liquid. It was strange how something so... revolting, could be at the same time satisfactory.

"I mean that it can't be normal. Look at him! He looks like a model for _Witch Weekly_ magazine, and he does one of the most disgusting things we've ever done in Herbology without batting an eye, and in record time! He doesn't seem to be cheating either!"

"I don't think his looks have anything to do with... well, anything really."

Said Harry while looking at Ron strangely.

"You know what I mean! Do you picture, I don't know... Malfoy, with his perfectly trimmed hair and ironed clothes doing that kind of work, without at least grimacing?"

Harry tried to picture the scene: Malfoy working fast and well on something repugnant without complaining in the least... No, it was simply too weird. Hermione sighed.

"He could have learned Herbology with his master you know? Since it rarely requires to use magic directly, he wouldn't have had too much trouble learning it, even if his magic was unstable."

"Doesn't explain how he manages it without looking revolted... He looks too bloody proper for that you know?"

Mumbled Ron, apparently struggling to integrate this new information they had just found on the new student. Hermione for her part looked slightly irritated to see that someone was doing way better than her in the class.

Ron was relieved to see that Kurama's control and impassivity was not a constant in all the classes, as seen in the next one, Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. In fact, like everybody else, Kurama was very much disgusted by Blast-Ended Skrewts. Unlike Malfoy, he was discreet about his disgust, but Harry noticed that though he had no trouble taking frog livers in his hands, he still stayed away from the creatures themselves as much as possible, throwing the food in the crates instead of putting his hands in them. This was revealed as being a wise move, because Dean got burned when one of the Skrewts blasted off. After that, everybody more or less unknowingly imitated Kurama. The entire time, Harry felt Hagrid was acting strangely around Kurama, treating him with a sort of muted respect that was simply unexplainable considering what the foreign young man seemed to think of his lesson. Harry decided it must have had something to do with Kurama being of Dumbledore's family, since the giant of a man held the Headmaster in such a high esteem it was close to idolisation.

During lunch Harry, Ron, Hermione and Kurama were followed by Neville. The timid boy and the new student had really hit off in Herbology, and started a conversation on plants that had continued thorough Hagrid's lesson. They were still talking by the end of it, and they ended up sitting next to each-other, the three best friends right next to them. It did clear up a point for Harry though; there was a reason Kurama had been so efficient in Professor Sprout's class, he was a walking encyclopedia on plants, though it seemed he wasn't entirely familiar with some magical plants, but it was compensated by his knowledge of their muggle version.

Lunch was followed by Divination, to Ron and Harry's dismay. Strangely enough Kurama also had this lesson, even though he seemed to not be interested in the subject.

"I already know all there is to know about runes, Arithmancy seemed like a lot of work and I already have too much to catch up on. Albus insisted I take this class, since it would not be as hard to understand and learn, even with the years I missed."

The moment they entered the Divination tower trough the trapdoor, Harry instantly wrinkled his nose when he was assaulted by an overly sweet, yet very strong and almost aggressive perfume. As always, the fire burned bright, and made the room stuffy and way too perfumed. He had no idea what their professor threw in it to create such a smell, but this, the warmth, the closed curtains and the dim reddish light tended to make him fall asleep.

One step behind him, someone had almost the same thoughts. Kurama felt his eyes tear up, the smell was so strong... Especially for him. He tried to get used to it, but he knew that he would get a headache like never before if he stayed too long in the room. Sadly, that would be the case. He cursed Albus, while knowing that the man was still a human, he was not used to think in terms of olfactory sensibility or other such things which were a primary concern for many yōkai. Kurama hadn't been lying about his knowledge in runes (a necessary skill to have when you are a thief and you have to get past wards and other magical protections), and it was true he had enough on his plate already without adding Arithmancy as well, but the idea of divination (and of him being busy) had been suggested by Albus, and Kurama had thought it was a very logical and coherent conclusion. Now he was regretting ever agreeing with the Headmaster.

Especially knowing the man's nosiness when it came to the fox's affairs.

Now that he thought about it, everybody had told him Professor Trelawney was a fraud, but what if Albus didn't think so despite saying otherwise?

He had said he thought little of her subject, but Kurama could not picture the old and wise wizard employing a woman like her if he considered her to be faking her talents. He regretted not noticing that sooner.

The thought of staying a minute longer in this room suddenly felt even less attractive. He disliked the idea of standing out, he had managed to stay relatively invisible until now by carefully toning down both his reiki and yōki, making his presence seem normal, human, near absent. But by quitting this lesson and leaving the room he would certainly get noticed. Almost all of the students were already seated. Whatever (as Yusuke would have said), he was leaving. He turned around as his hearing picked up the sound of someone coming from behind him, and discovered a woman with overly large glasses and a tangled mess for hair looking at him with a sort of fascination that had nothing to do with the usual attention he received from women.

"Are you going somewhere dear?"

"I'm sorry, I am not feeling too well. I was hoping I could go to the infirmary, would that be a problem?"

Please, please, agree...

"What would be the trouble, perhaps I can help you? If it's a reaction to being in a heavily mystical environment, then I have herbal teas that will help."

By the kami... That woman would not let him go would she? He could see the light of interest shining in her eyes. _"I want out!"_.

"I don't doubt your knowledge in herbs, but I have been having headaches for the last three days, and Madam Pomfrey asked that I come see her when it happens."

He sent her a charming but slightly pained smile, hoping she would fall for it. She didn't. He wondered if her brain worked differently than the human females he usually was confronted to.

"Oh! Perhaps you are on the brinks of finding a clue of a future to come then, if these headaches are so recurrent. I am sorry to say that they won't leave until you uncover this clue... You should stay, you would benefit from my lesson and perhaps will you solve your problem today."

"**Kuso**..."

"Sorry?"

Had he said that out loud? Yusuke may have rubbed off on him more than he had realised.

"I simply thanked you."

He did not drop the smile. Had his old high school teachers known about this lie, they would have been appalled. Yusuke would have been rolling on the floor, laughing.

"Well, the pleasure is all mine, I will prepare a cup of herbal tea for you, please take a sit."

Needless to say, he was near comatose for the whole lesson. He found the professor's obsession with Harry strange to say the least, but it explained her fascination with him as well; he was merely a new object of interest.

The first thing he did when he finally got out was visit Madam Pomfrey, for he had indeed a violent headache by the end of the lesson. The matron sighed when she saw him enter, having seen him more than any students already. On her advice (he may have explained – complained – to her about effects of all this perfume had on him), he decided to renegotiate his participation in this class with Albus. But not before he had rested for a while under her watchful eyes and eaten in the Great Hall.

Sadly, he missed the key event of the day, Malfoy being changed into a ferret, but Ron took great delight in retelling the event during dinner.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

"May I talk with you Albus?"

Asked Kurama, closing softly the door to the Headmaster's office behind him. Electric blue eyes rose to meet green.

"Kurama! Did you eat well? Did you have a taste of that delightful Yorkshire pudding?"

Kurama answered with a smile and a short "Yes, it was delicious". He had noticed the man's sometimes frivolous attitude, and his tendency to introduce a discussion by irrelevant and trivial subjects. He was not sure if the Headmaster was simply eccentric, or if he only wanted people to think he was. Or perhaps was it a bit of both.

The fox went to sit in the chair opposite to Albus, and the old wizard signed a last paper, before putting his work aside. Kurama tried to ignore the muttering of the portraits, most of which had already clearly expressed their discontent at having a yōkai (or "demon" as they called him) allowed in the school. Kurama knew they weren't the only one who thought that. Of all the staff, only Albus, Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid seemed to think that he wouldn't suddenly begin a rampage and kill all the students (the idea itself was absurd; the contract between Kurama and the Headmaster made it impossible for the yōkai to hurt any student). Filch had not been told about this, and he knew he would be able to make Professor Sprout appreciate him with time. As for the other teachers... it would take time, at best.

"You do a lot of paperwork every time I come to see you..."

Commented Kurama while eyeing the piles of papers on each side of the old Headmaster.

"This is the downside of holding a position such as mine, though it's true that this year is worse than the previous ones in that aspect."

"Because of the tournament? This a strange idea, this event, is it not? Especially for children so young."

"I do agree with you. This was also my reaction when the Ministry suggested it. Well, it was more of an announcement than a suggestion. Thankfully the security measures will be reinforced."

"Why did the Ministry plan this?" Wondered the fox, not really seeing what could be gained from this.

"I believe dear old Minister Fudge's popularity has been dropping this past year. This might be the reason. Of course, he will cheer for the Hogwarts champion, and should this event be a success, and better yet, should Hogwarts win, he will benefit from the glory as well."

A political move then. It wasn't surprising considering how few wizarding schools were, and how much importance they had.

"And do you agree with the Ministry imposing this event?"

"I do not disagree, it allows my students to widen their view of the world. What I disagreed with was when Fudge presented the Tournament as being organised by the Ministry entirely, as though the teachers here would not know what to do. I managed to make him come back on his decision, and we will be the one planning the tasks. I believe the security will be better upheld by people who care about the students rather than someone whose interests are so self-centred."

Kurama agreed, and noticed once again the need Albus had shown before to know and control all that happened in his school. The yōkai felt almost as if he was looking at a mirror image of himself in the human in front of him, and this created a strange emotion in him, a sort of controlled admiration, mixed in with a sense of recognition. Never before had Kurama met anyone he could relate to quite so well, and it was refreshing.

"But enough about all this, you wanted to talk to me Kurama?"

"Yes, I wish to abandon Divination. I won't be able to bear all the perfume in her room the entire year."

"Ah yes... Poppy told me about it. Surely it can't have been that bad."

"It was. Please keep in mind that my sense of smell is much better than a human. I was nearly _drugged_ by all that perfume by the end of it. As if her voice spouting nonsense wasn't enough!"

If this wasn't clear enough, Kurama didn't know how to make it any clearer. It seemed Albus had gotten the picture, if the expression he sported was any indication.

"I see... Runes will be of no use to you however is that right?"

"I'd still prefer having to relearn all I know about runes than go to that room again."

"Arithmancy is still a form of divination, I doubt it will interest you..."

"You are right."

"That puts me in a complicated situation."

Kurama raised an eyebrow in a way that made it clear he didn't care. Albus accepted that he was defeated.

"I will try to talk to the Ministry about reducing your curriculum. After all, you already validated rune technically speaking, and you have a lot of work already. I believe I might be able to convince them to allow me to modify your timetable."

Thank the kami the Headmaster was not the obstinate sort, otherwise his want to know more about Kurama would not have permitted him to agree with the fox's request of leaving Divination.

"Thank you. You have my gratitude."

"But we will have to find something to replace this class with. Not another class obviously, but... I might have an idea. Would you like to spend some of these afternoons with me? I will help you catch up on the previous years curriculum, but it will also allow us to have an excuse to meet if I ever make some discoveries on either Voldemort or the ritual he used."

Well, Albus might not have been obstinate in the way used to obtain information, but apparently he wasn't giving up on the idea. Kurama would permit it. It would allow him to gather information on the man too, and to control what information Albus would receive. It helped that the old wizard's company was enjoyable.

"I like the idea."

"Then it's settled! We will see each-other next Monday. You should go to bed now, before curfew."

"One last thing, about my wand. Will we go to Diagon Alley to retrieve it Tuesday evening, since it would be faster, or will we have to wait for it to arrive by owl?"

"We will wait. We already took a great risk when we left the school's ground that first time. It might have been unavoidable then in order to not raise suspicion, but it would be better if we took no more risks from now on."

Kurama nodded in understanding, and rose to leave.

"Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"How are you adjusting?"

He missed his home. His homesickness was made stronger by his worries for his mother, but on the whole he was adjusting well. He only told Albus that last part.

"I see. That is good then. You may go."

Kurama left and closed the door behind him as softly as he had when he first entered the room. His weaknesses were his own, and he would not share them.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o


End file.
